NBA Trade Rumors: 3 teams who should take a gamble on Gordon Hayward

1. Golden State Warriors

Per Anthony Slater, who covers the Golden State Warriors for The Athletic, the Warriors have “poked around” the trade market for potential upgrades at center. Slater also noted that the Warriors have “a great desire to get off long-term salary, making Andrew Wiggins a likely candidate to be moved before the deadline.” Additionally, Slater previously reported that Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in head coach Steve Kerr (subscription required), which has raised questions about his future with the franchise.

By sending Wiggins and Kuminga to Charlotte for Hayward, the Warriors kill two birds with one stone, turning Wiggins’ four-year, $109 million contract that expires in 2027 and a disgruntled Kuminga into a veteran rotational piece with a bloated expiring contract. In this instance, the Warriors are doing addition by subtraction. The 2024 second-round pick (via the Boston Celtics) and 2025 first-round pick (top-eight protected) are icing on the cake for a Warriors team that doesn’t have a first-round pick this season.

The Hornets add two impactful rotational pieces, one of which has the potential to grow alongside LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams (Kuminga). The Hornets are not typically a marquee free-agent destination, so they cannot pass up an opportunity to acquire talent via the trade market when they can.