3 Disastrous mistakes the Charlotte Hornets must avoid this summer
By Adam Taylor
#2 Running it back with Gordon Hayward
It’s time to face the music. The Gordon Hayward experiment hasn’t worked, as the former All-Star wing has struggled with injury throughout his tenure with the Hornets. Sure, when healthy, Hayward is a legitimate star talent capable of raising the team’s overall ceiling on both sides of the court. However, Hayward’s health can’t be relied upon, and when you’re paying someone $31.5 million for the season, that’s a significant issue.
As such, the Charlotte Hornets should look for ways to offload the 33-year-old this summer. By moving on from the veteran, the Hornets’ can afford more developmental time to their younger wings, including any they obtain via draft or free agency in the coming months. Furthermore, the Hornets could bring back one or two role players in a potential trade, which would help improve the team’s depth.
I get it, this is the final year of Hayward’s deal, and there is always hope that he can string together a healthy season. Yet, the truth is, this will be the fourth consecutive year that we’ve been holding out that hope; maybe now is the right time to end the partnership and begin looking to the future.