The options available to the Lakers in the NBA offseason have dwindled severely, and there’s no doubt that the team has missed out on all its intended targets. Klay Thompson is in Dallas, Jonas Valanciunas is in Washington, DeMar DeRozan is in Sacramento and, now, Gary Trent is in Milwaukee.
The Lakers would like to get far enough below the luxury tax’s second apron, at just over $189 million, to use their taxpayer midlevel exception, and would need to dump contracts or send out multiple players in a trade to do that. But there aren’t many players left who would be worthy of the exception.
Even to sign a minimum-contract player, the Lakers would need to make a move and dump a contract—the roster stands at 15 players, and there’s no room for another. Ideally, the Lakers would drop two players and go into the season with 14 on the roster, leaving the team with some flexibility.
But before they dump any players, they’d need to have targets in mind to sign in their place. That’s where things could get interesting. And at Bleacher Report, they have a suggestion: former All-Star forward Gordon Hayward.
Gordon Hayward Played Limited Role After Thunder Signing
Certainly, Hayward’s stats over his 14-year career would get anyone interested: 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists. But he has been a shell of himself since leaving Utah in 2017, when he signed with the Celtics as a major free agent, then broke his ankle in his first game. Since then, he has been unable to stay healthy, playing 318 games in six seasons.
He bottomed out last year after he was traded by the Hornets to the Thunder last year. Rather than being a veteran contributor for the young Thunder, Hayward was unplayable, averaging 5.6 points in 23 games and failing to score at all in seven postseason appearances (46 minutes in total).
But B/R’s Paul Kasabian, in an article titled, “Lakers’ Top Free Agent, Trade Options After Gary Trent Jr. Signs Bucks Contract,” tabs Hayward as a potential Lakers signee.
“Now, (Hayward is) a free agent, and it’s unclear where his next opportunity may arise. Injuries have unfortunately taken a toll, but when healthy, he is still clearly a productive contributor. Hayward averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists over 25 starts for the Hornets last year.
“He probably won’t find a starting gig in the NBA, but off the bench, Hayward can be a great asset for a team in need of some help on the wing and/or more offensive production off the bench. Arguably, the Lakers need help on both those fronts.”
Lakers Need a Big Man if Roster Spot Is Created
Hayward probably would not play much for the Lakers, though. He could be a solid injury fill-in throughout the season, but as a combo forward, he’d be behind LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. As a big, ballhandling wing, he’d fall behind Austin Reaves and maybe even Max Christie, whom the Lakers continue to say they want to play more.
Ultimately, the Lakers may need to give up assets—at least one second-round pick—to dump end-of-bench contracts for players like Cam Reddish and Christian Wood. If they do that, they’re going to need to know what they’re adding to the roster, and how that player would fit.
The priority is a backup big man, and that’s obviously not Hayward, a career small forward who plays some at the 2 and some at the 4. If the Lakers think Hayward can have a revival of sorts in L.A., he might make sense. But he’d be a longshot.
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