NBA Trade Rumors: Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat might be interested to land Gordon Hayward
The NBA season is in full swing, and teams are getting a clear picture of how good they are or are not. Once the season has started, there are only a couple of ways to improve your roster. A team can either sign a free agent or look for a potential trade. One player that is getting mentioned in the trade is the Charlotte Hornets’ Gordon Hayward.
Per Sean Deveney of Heay.com, there are two teams that are interested in the services of the 6ft 7in small forward. The two organizations he identified were the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are among the teams that could potentially target Gordon Hayward, per @SeanDeveney https://t.co/xacNKpp1gI
Both the Mavericks and the Heat reached the conference finals last season and have hopes of going back. Each team could use a scorer like Hayward off the bench. Hayward is averaging 15.6ppg for the Hornets.
The NBA trade deadline is February 9th, 2022 and one of them will probably need to make that move before then. New teams could emerge for Hayward's services.
The Miami Heat and Gordon Hayward
The Heat are currently 7-9 on the season and are ranked eleventh in the Eastern Conference. If the Heat were to acquire Gordon Hayward, he would most likely be used off the bench. Hayward's $30 million price tag may appear excessive for a reserve, but he would most likely be the team's sixth man.
The Heat will put Hayward in a lineup with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Hero, and Jimmy Butler. These are players who would not be included in a trade to acquire Hayward. If the team signs Hayward, it will gain some depth that will be useful for their deep run in the playoffs.
Dallas Mavericks and Gordon Hayward
The Mavericks trail the Memphis Grizzlies by half a game in the Southwest Division. Hayward might be the best fit for Dallas. A forward who can score and relieve some of the pressure on Luka Doncic. Hayward would almost certainly start for Dallas. Particularly if the Mavericks had to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. to get him.
The team could also use Hayward as the sixth man because most of their scoring right now comes from their starting lineup. Hayward could provide steady scoring off the bench. Hayward's shooting ability may help Doncic get better looks off the bench.
If Doncic has a clear second option to look for, the Mavericks could end up further than they were last year.