National Basketball Association

Gordon Hayward: The Potential Target for Sam Presti next Summer

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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It’s widely expected that between now and the start of next season, the Oklahoma City Thunder will acquire a talented new small forward. But beyond the Blake Griffins and the Paul Georges lies another option: Gordon Hayward.

It seems like just about every small foward in the league has been credited with a potential move to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, the only names that seem to be missing are LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard.

September’s trade rumor mill has been consistently churning out names from a ‘Blake Griffin homecoming’ to a short-term move for Rudy Gay. But what about Gordon Hayward?

With time running out before the start of the new season, and with media day behind us, it’s looking like a certainty that the Thunder will instead explore their options next summer. The search for Russell Westbrook’s new superstar partner goes on.

Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon Hayward has a near $17 million player option in his contract with the Utah Jazz next summer, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the 26-year-old could test free agency. The small forward is apparently keen to search for a max contract, as he enters the prime of his career.

Hayward’s scoring statistics have steadily increased across his six years in the NBA, culminating with a 19.7 average across the 2015/16 season.

Last campaign was kind to Hayward in other ways too, as he started 80 games for the first time. He also continued to convert 80 percent of his free throws for the fifth season running.

Despite this, he is a fringe All-Star. Hayward has just four playoff appearances across his entire professional career, the last of which was over four years ago.

Sadly for Utah, they’re in a state of limbo.

The side are consistently missing out on the playoffs by narrow margins. They finished ninth last year, missing out by a single win. The year before they performed comfortably better the league’s worst performing franchises, yet still missed out by near double figures.

It means that the Jazz aren’t finishing low enough to get a serious game-changer in the annual draft, making progress slow.. The experienced Joe Johnson was a solid bit of business this summer, however it isn’t a deal for the long-term.

So could Hayward be the answer?

Sep 26, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) during Media Day at Zion Bank Basketball Center. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no denial that if given the choice, the Oklahoma City Thunder fanbase would choose a move for Blake Griffin.

Despite being just a year older than Hayward, the Los Angeles Clippers man already boasts five NBA All-Star appearances and three All-NBA Second Team appearances. Gordon’s résumé looks thin.

However, it’s all about the teammates.

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Griffin has spent the majority of his career playing alongside passing wizard Chris Paul, whilst DeAndre Jordan’s defensive work ethic is to be admired. Meanwhile, a Jazz player hasn’t made a single NBA All-Star appearance single Deron Williams did so in 2010.

Hayward’s scoring ability definitely make him a back-up candidate in their search for a forward. The only issue would be coughing up to his monetary demands.

Working alongside Westbrook and Oladipo the 26-year-old would easily have the potential to push his scoring figures up into the low 20’s, which goes some way to replacing Kevin Durant’s 2015/16 average of 28.2.

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