Getty Gordon Hayward
The Philadelphia 76ers have had one of their most productive offseasons in recent memory. In this stage of the offseason, they can offer veteran free agents the chance to play for a playoff team for cheap. One who fits that bill is Gordon Hayward.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey explained in a July 19 story why the Sixers are a landing spot for Hayward.
“The Philadelphia 76ers completely overhauled their supporting cast around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid this summer and could still use an experienced, low-usage forward in lineups including those two and Paul George,” Bailey wrote.
He then explained why Hayward would fit on the team on paper.
“With his 38.5 three-point percentage over the last five seasons, Hayward could be a dangerous, standstill catch-and-shoot threat working off actions involving the stars. Against the opposition’s lower-level perimeter defenders, he might even be able to do some damage as a scorer and creator attacking closeouts.”
Hayward is coming off a four-year, $120 million contract. At 34 years old and with his injury history, he won’t be paid handsomely again. However, he could very well prove to be a diamond in the rough for a team like the Sixers.
He’s no longer the player who made the All-Star team with the Utah Jazz in 2017. Nor is he the player that got two $100+ million contracts with the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets. However, he is still a multi-faceted player.
Adding Gordon Hayward Comes With a Risk
Besides the fact that he’s 34 years old, Hayward has quite an established history of injuries since he left the Jazz. He suffered a career-altering injury in his very first game with the Celtics, and it didn’t stop there.
From 2017 to 2024, Hayward has only eclipsed the 70-game mark once. That happened to be the one season he returned from his first major injury during the 2018-19 season. Besides that, the most games he’s played in an entire season is 52 with the Hornets.
He would still be a risk worth taking, knowing that his role would be smaller with the Sixers than it has been for his previous teams. Part of why he played as many games as he did that one season was because his role was reduced.
There have been no reports tying Hayward to the Sixers, but that could change in the next few weeks.
Gordon Hayward is Coming Off Disaster Season
Besides injuries, Hayward did not have the best tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After acquiring him mid-season, he averaged 5.3 points while shooting 45.2% from the field and 51.7% from three in 17.2 minutes a game.
The Thunder reduced his role even further, as he averaged 6.6 minutes in the seven playoff games he played for them. Evidently, he was not ready for a smaller role after being one of his team’s top players for years. His lack of impact, combined with his injuries, hurt his value as a free agent.
For that reason, if the Sixers have interest in him, he would likely come cheap. Hayward could also re-establish himself as a valuable player in the NBA should they put him in the right role.