Getty Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris
The Philadelphia 76ers want to be a contender, but they also want to have cap flexibility for the upcoming offseason. To help them have the best of both worlds, The Ringer’s Zack Kram proposed a trade involving two former Boston Celtics.
Kram proposed the following trade between the Sixers and Charlotte Hornets in a January 17 story.
Sixers receive: Gordon Hayward
Hornets receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, two second-round picks.
Kram explained why Hayward would be an ideal trade target for the Sixers.
“If cap space remains a priority, Hayward would suffice as a jack-of-all-trades option on an expiring deal. The former All-Star is 33 years old now and has spent the past four years in obscurity—er, Charlotte—but he’s still a capable creator, averaging 4.6 assists per game this season, his highest mark in a decade.”
Kram added that Hayward brings the Sixers both shooting and size along the perimeter.
“He can still shoot well enough (36 percent from distance) to play off the ball. And he’s still big enough to play next to Maxey and De’Anthony Melton on the perimeter and thus give 76ers coach Nick Nurse another option on the wing.”
Kram did not delve much into why the Hornets would want Morris and Covington. Much like Hayward, their contracts are also expiring.
Gordon Hayward Likely to Be Bought Out: Insider
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Hornets plan to make some firesale changes. He named only three players whom the Hornets plan to keep.
“The Hornets have indicated that they will be more active this deadline, with influence from new ownership, than how the front office has conducted business in previous transaction windows. Charlotte is said to have all players available outside of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams, per league personnel,” Fischer wrote in a January 17 story.
Among those players is Hayward. Fischer said that the ex-Celtic has drawn interest, but a trade does not appear to be in the cards.
“While there’s plenty of rival interest in veteran wing Gordon Hayward, he seems more likely to change teams by way of a buyout, as opposed to a rival club sending out $30 million to match his expiring salary.”
Hayward’s contract, combined with his injury history over the years, has clearly derailed his trade value.
Gordon Hayward Reflects on Disastrous Celtics Team
On Paul George’s podcast, Gordon Hayward reflected on what went wrong with the 2018-19 Celtics.
“We all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing wasn’t the main one.”
Gordon Hayward on the shortcomings of a loaded 2018-19 Celtics squad
“In my eyes, it was just, we all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one,” Hayward told George on January 1. “Not to blame anyone either because I think it was all human nature.”
Hayward then explained how everyone’s personal agendas did not flow with one another.
“I mean, I’m coming back from, the last season I played, I was an All-Star, so I’m trying to prove that I’m still an All-Star. Kyrie (Irving) was hurt the year before, didn’t miss the playoffs. So he’s trying to prove this is still his team. Then you’ve got (Jayson Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) and Terry (Rozier) coming off where they’re all starting, make it to the Eastern Conference Finals a year before. They’re all trying to prove, like, ‘We’ve arrived.’”
That team underperformed despite a wildly talented roster. After losing Irving, Morris, Terry Rozier, and Al Horford, the Celtics improved the following season because there weren’t nearly as many “agendas,” as Hayward put it.