The NBA division semifinals are in full swing, and the suspense of the championship is slowly being revealed, but all this has nothing to do with the 22 teams that have been eliminated, and they now need to consider next season, not the championship.
22 teams entered the offseason early, and they also began a series of operations, such as the Clippers' 2-year, 24 million extension to Covington, Irving's attempt to renew his contract with the Nets, etc., and the Hornets, who lost in the playoffs, are also considering the transaction.
The Hornets have made a lot of progress this season, the team under the leadership of 3 goals, Bridges, Rozier and others, once in the top 6 in the East, there is a good chance to play the playoffs! However, in the second half of the regular season, they began to show the problem of lack of stamina, and finally surpassed by the Nets, Hawks, and other teams, only to get the 10th place, although they entered the playoffs, they suffered a 29-point defeat and missed the playoffs.
The Hornets missed the playoffs again, much to the disappointment of team owner Jordan, and the player who disappointed Jordan the most was Hayward.
Hayward, definitely a representative of the active NBA white players, has played well in the Jazz and Green Army, and he has also become a top paying star! In 2020, Jordan sent Hayward a 4-year, 120 million contract, bringing the flanker under his wing, hoping to help the team impact the playoffs.
In the first year of coming to the Hornets, Hayward performed really well, although the number of appearances was only 44, not very high, but he handed over the data of averaging 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, becoming the core of the team's offense, and helping Ball grow well, although the team did not enter the playoffs in the end, the team saw the potential and the value of Hayward.
But who thinks, this season, Hayward has frequently suffered injury problems, only played 49 games, the average data per game also slipped to 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists, whether it is on-court performance, or attendance, far from meeting the team's expectations, but also let the Hornets intentionally send Hayward.
Hayward and the Hornets broke up almost inevitably, and neither side wanted to work together anymore! On the Hornets side, first, because of the rise of Ball, Rozier, Bridges and others, the demand for Hayward is getting lower and lower; secondly, Hayward has too many injuries and a salary of up to 120 million for 4 years, which is obviously not a cost-effective player, so the team wants to give up.
For Hayward, his role in the Hornets is getting less and less, whether it is the playing time, the number of shots, the proportion of tactics is declining, and gradually become a marginal figure of the team, for him who wants to fight for more opportunities, the Hornets are not suitable for himself, and the breakup of the two sides is also imperative.
Hayward's breakup with the Hornets has become inevitable, but Hayward's deal is not handled very well! Hayward is a contract for the star, but he doesn't have the value of a star, so the Hornets can't make an equivalent exchange, trade a good star, they are more likely to exchange Hayward for 2 150-20 million or so starters, and even if there is a certain potential, the team needs to add some chips.
To tell the truth, Hayward became a problem for the Wasps to go further, and all this was also unknown to Wasp boss Jordan.
Hayward's 4-year, 120 million contract, signed only 2 years, is going to be traded, and there is not even room for turning back, which is Jordan's eyes!
First of all, Hayward was a famous "glass man" before joining the Hornets, which was the object of the Green Army's efforts to deal with, and as a result, Jordan was not optimistic about the situation in the outside world, and he resolutely sent a 4-year contract of 120 million, which was a gamble, and the result was that Jordan gambled and lost.
Moreover, Jordan did not analyze the growth and construction of the team very well! Do the 2020 Wasps need Hayward? It's not really needed! At that time, the Hornets had Rozier and Graham in the backcourt, the strength was not bad, plus the team selected Ball, the Hornets were definitely going to form a rozier + Ball backcourt combination, then hard to insert a Hayward, not only for the team is not much help, but also hinders the growth of newcomers.
If Hayward is placed on the flank, the Hornets also have Bridges, Washington and other generals, Hayward also does not play much, so in general, Hayward's position is doomed to be very embarrassing! Jordan signed Hayward, just to see his immediate strength, hoping to help the team return to the playoffs immediately, but unfortunately this goal was not achieved, and it also fell into the current situation.
In addition to Hayward, Kwame Brown, Batum, etc., are all models of Jordan's eyesight, as the team owner, Jordan's vision in the selection of people is really not good, it is no wonder that the Hornets have been rebuilding for many years, but they have never seen the rise.