What Role Ex-Celtic Gordon Hayward Hopes To Fill With Thunder

Gordon Hayward couldn’t avoid the NBA trade deadline frenzy, sending the 14-year veteran from a rebuilding Charlotte Hornets team to an NBA Finals contender in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hayward, 33, embraced that change of scenery on Wednesday when sporting his new Thunder threads for the first time. Shifting from a young team with no hopes of contending this season to an Oklahoma City squad that’s made its presence felt in the Western Conference, Hayward feels his experiences through three previous NBA stops could benefit the Thunder.

“There’s nothing like experiences in the NBA. Those are hard to teach, you kind of just have to go through them so I’ve gone through quite a few,” Hayward said, per team-provided video. “I think just being able to be in those moments and hopefully be a calming presence and somebody that can be poised out on the court or when I’m not playing either, just helping the guys if they have any questions. Being in those moments there’s things that arise that I can kind of help with.”

No longer in All-Star form, Hayward’s remained serviceable since undergoing a rocky run with the Celtics, suffering a fractured left ankle in 2017 to falling off Boston’s depth chart. So with Oklahoma City, a fresh start is needed.

Hayward has averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists on 46.8% shooting through 25 games played. Injuries have still hampered Hayward’s ability to be reliable, absent for Charlotte’s play-in matchup with the Atlanta Hawks last season. Plus, playing in the final season of a $120 million contract, the Hornets had no reason to keep Hayward on board.

Now healthy, Hayward could debut with the Thunder as early as Thursday when Oklahoma City hosts the Los Angeles Clippers.