When Sam Presti pulled the trigger on an NBA Trade Deadline trade that sent Tre Mann, Davis Bertans and Vasilije Micic to Charlotte to land All-City player Gordon Hayward, no one expected it to be like this.
Hayward, who has scored consistently at all levels of basketball throughout his career, often looked like a deer in the headlights on the court.
After trying to get him into the mix to provide a scoring boost for Oklahoma City’s secondary unit, the shot-averse forward ultimately ended up parked on the pine for the rest of the playoffs.
While much has been made of the 34-year-old’s lack of shot attempts, who saw more half-court shots from fans at the Paycom Center than he took all postseason, Hayward blames his role.
“I think that’s a credit to the role I was given and the lack of touches,” Hayward said in his exit interview Sunday.
That wasn’t what anyone expected on deal day, including Hayward, who explained how frustrating this mandate has been.
“Obviously disappointing with how everything turned out. This is not what I thought it would be.”
be. Certainly frustrating. But it more or less is what it is. We have a great team here with great young players and a great coach. So the future is bright,” Hayward said when first asked about his reduced role.
Despite his failure in Bricktown, the veteran forward still believes he has a lot to offer an NBA team that is now healthy and ready to play.
“I feel like, as a player, I have a lot to offer. I just didn’t have much of an opportunity to do it,” Hayward added.
While his exit interview generated shockwaves and fireworks on social media, it wasn’t all bad or pointing the finger at Hayward, who praised the Oklahoma City Thunder organization for being top-notch from top to bottom.
“Yeah, it’s a tremendously run organization from top to bottom. They do a great job. The stuff outside of basketball, the basketball piece, is definitely top-notch.” Hayward explained.
The praise didn’t stop at the organizational level, Hayward, who has played for many quality coaches, took the time to congratulate the Thunder’s young bench boss in Mark Daigneault.
“I think he’s a great young coach, extremely prepared and very hard-working. I think some of the things he’s doing are unique, new and really smart. Just little nuances, the type of game within the game, the things he does. and tricks to regain a possession or win: getting a quick ball. The jump ball yesterday is a good example. It’s a design play that he and his staff came up with, I think the staff was tremendous too,” Hayward. praised Daigneault.
If today was any indication, it’s safe to assume that Hayward will not return to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer as his contract expires.
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