NBA Free Agency 2014: Gordon Hayward signs offer sheet with Charlotte Hornets

According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, free agent Gordon Hayward has signed an offer sheet with the Charlotte Hornets.

Because Gordon Hayward is a restricted free agent, the Utah Jazz have the ability to match any contract offered to the shooting guard. With Hayward having officially signed an offer sheet with Charlotte, Utah has a 72-hour period to match the deal following the end of July Moratorium, or July 10th.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Hornets have offered Hayward a max contract worth $63 million over four years.

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Coming into free agency, Hayward was one of the more interesting prospects. In the first three years of his career, Hayward was able to play alongside Al Jefferson and Paul Millap, easing the scoring burden on the young guard. But with Jefferson in Charlotte, Millsap in Atlanta, and Derrick Favors still improving as a player on offense, Hayward was given the keys to the Jazz offense, struggling a bit as he faced opposing teams best defenders every night.

But in Charlotte, that wouldn’t be an issue as he’d slide back into the third option role behind former teammate in Al Jefferson and point guard Kemba Walker.

Last season, the Hornets struggled to maintain consistency on offense outside of Walker and Jefferson, finishing 24th in the league in offensive rating. With Gordon on the roster, that number will surely take a jump as long as his usage decreases upon arrival. It is expected that the Utah Jazz will match whatever the Charlotte Hornets have to offer.