Former All-Star Could Sign with Knicks

The New York Knicks will be hoping to sign OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein to big-time extensions this offseason, but they will also have to identify players who could help them on cheaper deals.

Enter Gordon Hayward, who was traded by the Charlotte Hornets to the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the trade deadline in February. Hayward cashed in major on his previous two free agent deals, making over $240 million. Now, the Knicks could look to sign him for just the minimum.

“Hayward provided a look of his younger self when he began the season with the Hornets, though he faded as spring came when he found himself outside the Thunder’s rotation. New York courted Hayward the last time the 34-year-old was a free agent, too. Thibodeau has always been a big fan,” The Athletic’s Fred Katz writes.

Hayward averaged 14.5 points per game in 25 appearances with the Hornets earlier in the season, but when he was traded to the Thunder, he got lost in the rotation and didn’t score in the playoffs. He was completely out of the rotation in the middle of the team’s series against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

It was clear that Hayward’s veteran presence didn’t really fit in the Thunder’s plans. The trade was made as a luxury rather than a necessity.

It’s clear that Hayward’s hey-day is past him. He isn’t the All-Star talent that he was in 2017 with the Utah Jazz and he isn’t the $120 million guy that the Boston Celtics signed. However, that doesn’t mean he cannot be a strong contributor to a contender next season.

With veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic unlikely to return to the Knicks with his $19 million contract, Hayward provides a much cheaper option while also providing a similar amount of production.

Hayward could provide some depth on the wing for the Knicks, who struggled in that department later in the playoffs. Any opportunity the Knicks can have to grab a player who has playoff experience on a bargain is one that New York should take.

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