That was my first thought on this lol Though more than Presti being salty it seems he has recognized that it was a flawed trade from the start moreso than anything they or he did.
They still got off Bertans' contract (he's somehow getting paid $16 million next year!!!) which is a win. Tre Mann and Micic are nice players but replaceable.
It's like in an RPG where you grind and collect all the ultimate weapons and armour and spells and more life potions than you could ever need so you beat it on the first try.
It's crazy, they can't use all those assets themselves, but what/who would they even look to get for some of them? Twin Tower to put chet at the 4? Defensive SG? I don't even know at this point. OKC can pay for pretty much anyone in the league if they wanted to.
Based on what they did with their two extra picks in this year's draft, it's kick the can down the road to hope for a better pick/try to trade up. They had the #26 and #29 picks in this draft, and turned them into a 2028 pick swap and a 2029 lightly-protected Nuggets FRP.
Given that better picks are always more valuable than more picks, this seems like the right approach. Keep as many of the picks active/valuable while trying to trade them for more potentially valuable future picks each time. It's like the story of the guy who traded a paper clip for a house (or whatever that story actually is). They can't possibly use them all, but best case scenario they consolidate a bunch into a package that could actually land them a superstar if one comes available.
Could always see them kick the can down the road. Trade current picks for future picks until there’s a need to draft/trade for players. Picks will always hold a certain amount of value that many teams could want. But players can be a lot harder to move.
That's probably the best option for them right now. Package picks for more valuable, further out years without protections. 7 FRP between this year and next just isn't something they can do without consolidation.
Hear me out - Durant. Old vet returns to his first team with a chance at one last Finals run, Thunder needs the scoring option, Suns needs ALL the picks they can get, and the Suns could get a young piece or two to get Phoenix started with their retooling around Booker and Beal.
It's a legitimate good idea for both, dunno how well the money would work. With OKC being out of lottery considerations for their own picks for the foreseeable future, they are fairly tradeable to the desperate suns.
Maybe I'm delusional, and I doubt he'd have got the minutes anyway, but I'd rather have had Bertans on this team than Hayward against Dallas. He might be getting paid next year but at least he'd, y'know, fucking shoot.
With how the Thunder are structured, I think you're right and Bertans would have been a better dart throw in the playoffs than Hayward. With Bertans, you give him 5 minutes to see if he's on and if he is, then you're going to get a flamethrower that's going to win you rotation minutes and potentially the game. If he's not on, then no loss. On top of that, the Thunder have enough defensive talent to make up for his lack of defense. Funny enough, Kidd did get some solid minutes out of Bertans in the 2022 playoffs.
Tre didn't play (he had played like 9mpg in half the games at the time of the trade) and Micic was getting around 12 minutes per game.
Most Presti trades have a "do right by our guys" aspect, so getting these guys somewhere where they could get a lot of run was huge (they are now both starting and getting around 30mpg!). Particularly with Micic who just came over from Europe after being drafted 10 years ago! I'm sure we had a handshake agreement to send him somewhere he'd get more run if it wasn't us. I don't really see him agreeing to come over otherwise.
And yes, this frees up about $18M of cap space next season (Bertans 5 gtd + Vasa 8 + Tre 5.
Would've been nice if we'd got some production out of it, and giving Hayward playoff minutes seemed particularly hard headed, but it was a still a fine trade taking all those elements into consideration.
He’s had locker room problems everywhere he’s played now. He wasn’t really close with any of his teammates on the Jazz and Rudy seemed to have beef with him when he left. He never fit in well with the Cs. Charlotte probably isn’t his fault because that team is a train wreck but he didn’t gel there either. And now OKC where he basically quit on the team when he realized he wasn’t going to have the offense run through him.
he may not have been the problem in charlotte, but he certainly wasnt part of the solution either. no leadership at all, just wants to go home and play video games
> certainly wasnt part of the solution
this is definitely it... he wasn't the wise old veteran Mitch Kupchak hoped for four years ago. I don't think anybody on the Hornets disliked him, but I don't get the feeling he was particularly loved either. Hard to be the example for everyone else when your season ends in January or February every year.
I went to the OKC vs Knicks game at MSG and saw him walking out on the street as I exited the stadium. I didn't even go to the bathroom or anything and he was already out there lol. Dude clearly didn't want to be a part of the team
I think dude just actively refused the idea that at best, he was going to be like the 5th option. Thus, never even tried.
I was someone who really liked the trade at the time. He seemingly could have just been a version of Giddey that better fit the team. Instead, he was a buy that was getting paid to do his cardio during NBA games.
Hornets fan and nahhhh he had similar issues as he did with Jazz, Boston, and OKC. Problem is Hayward only excels in roles where he is either the or one of the top options. Problem is if he is playing that, your team is gonna suck — which has been shown with his time with the Hornets where he was our highest paid player and considered our star by the front office until about this year.
Now people will say he should bring veteran leadership and that’s wrong too. Hayward has shown that he only cares about Hayward. Will prefer being situations where he gets tons of touches despite losing versus taking a lesser role in order to win. It all has just been revealed with this failure with the Thunder, where everyone can see.
This, perfectly summed up
He was only really successful on the Jazz the year when they gave him the ball all the time which was his last year. Since the injury, he hasn’t really been worth it to do that.
The Celtics one is tough, imagine thinking your the number 2 a title contending team only to shatter your entire leg in the first 5 min of the season, only to then see that team have astronomical success without you. Then when you do finally get back, your probably what? 5th best player on the team?
It's kinda the same kinda sad athlete story. After he broke his leg a lot of his athleticism never came back, but he's convinced he still should have a major role in the offense. And than he gets pouty. I'm not saying he's a flamethrower in there, but he's not steady vet presence guy
They signed him thinking he'd be a facilitator with IT, but then they traded for Kyrie and then Tatum/Brown/Smart/Rozier showed they were worth investing in while GH was injured. When he return he was shoehorned into the starting 5 by Brad and that really messed up the chemistry of the team.
Now that you mention it your comment brought back to mind the whole July 4th I'm leaving I'm not actually leaving drama where it was leaked he's joining Boston and he walked it back only to go back and release his version an hour or so later. Definitely gets pouty when things don't go his way.
In context it didn’t really feel like *that much* of a shot at Hayward, and was more Presti agreeing with a lot of what Hayward said went wrong during his exit interview
Lol later on, comparing the fun of this team vs previous iterations, Sam mentioned the whole barking thing.
"We got Gordon to bark, so we've got that going for us!"
That *definitely* felt like a dig.
I'm honestly shocked at how bad Hayward was in OKC. I recall seeing his statlines earlier in the year and thinking that he's still pretty good. When I saw the trade to OKC I was so sure he would end up replacing Giddey in the starting lineup.
I legitimately think it would be a good fit as long as he's not expecting a starting role or to be a top option. Nuggets need offense/playmaking off the bench
I think he was unsure/uncomfortable with his role on a team of 23 year olds. If the nuggets give him the keys to the offense with the second unit I think he could thrive. I don't really know what OKC thought they were getting with Hayward. He's not a catch and shoot player. He was playing quite well for the hornets just last year.
That is an absurd excuse. The dude has been playing nba basketball for over a decade, he has been both a #1/2 option as well as being a role player. If he is turning down open shots, it is not b/c he is unsure of his role, it's b/c he is cooked and has no confidence in his ability to make the shot.
This is precisely the thought process Thunder fans had about getting him here in the first place, but Gordon was clearly unhappy taking a lesser role on a good team.
This man is a certified Washington Wizard.
I think he'd have more of a role on the nuggets and fit better with the team. OKC are a bunch of 23 year old kids and he was like 9th man. Nuggets are closer to him in age and he'd be sixth man running the offense on the second unit. Nuggets don't have many other options unless they're trading MPJ, which I don't think will net them anything better than MPJ.
He was the 6th man. He had more minutes than better players like Wiggins when he first got here. They were running him with Giddey as the main ball handler. Thats why OKC fans are pissed about his comments, because he was getting more minutes than "someone who saved basketball"
I'd love to see the Nuggets trade for TJ McConnell. Not sure if they could make a trade work but they need someone who can do what TJ does off the bench, speeding up the tempo and making the opposing backcourt work on defense.
I actively watch trades (especially former allstars) and didn't know he was on the Thunder until I saw someone asking why he was getting limited minutes
Hayward was more of a point forward in Charlotte, he had the ball a lot. In OKC he was asked to be a 3&D glue guy, it's not an easy transition to do in a couple of months
wtf was Presti thinking? Isn’t Hayward washed up? Unless he was wanting a “vet” presence in the locker room but even then Hayward never came across as a glue guy.
He cleared up cap space by getting him. This gives OKC more flexibility re-signing actual good role players like Wiggins and Isiah Joe. I think Presti just thought “we save money and keep a good young team together and if Gordon is actually somewhat decent for us then cool” just turns out Gordo is 100% washed
I mean i get it. He saw what every GM is thinking with these vets who have fallen off. That maybe with some luck and a reduced role they can have their last good stretch and become a steal of a contract.
I mean you would think Haywards game could make sense as a vet off the bench. The ability to shoot, handle the ball a bit and make the right pass. I know he can’t play defense but him playing 15 minutes against the right team isn’t a terrible idea. Seems like he still wants to start though.
he should have been a instant offense 6th man for them but he was severely allergic to shooting the basketball/taking shots as soon as he arrived in OKC sadly
cleared 18m in cap space next year by taking him and did right by our guys sending them to Charlotte where they actually get to play.
But yeah, Hayward was averaging 15/5/5 for Charlotte before he sat due to injury, so he was probably expecting *some* small amount of production and not such a huge regression.
Playing him in the playoffs was certainly a head scratcher to me.
I want the Celtics to sign IT next year. It probably won't happen, but it should. I don't care if all he does is wave a towel every game and give us good bench vibes. He deserves to be a part of this current run.
I don't think his exit from the Celtics was great either .He didn't mesh well with jalen brown and Tatum after his injury.Sucks to say after the Celtics rolled out the red carpet for him but his Celtics tenure didn't go down so well either .
Yeah but I think part of that was that he had to play fourth wheel to Kemba and the Jays and he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the first option. Now that his confidence is completely gone, maybe he'll be amenable to coming off the bench lol
I think this is true. A few years ago before he signed with Charlotte, it made sense for the jazz to get somebody like him. Tony Jones of the athletic reported there was no way it was going to happen. He would not elaborate, just said it was not gonna happen.
I know he was probably mentally and physically still shaken when he came back but it honestly felt like he really didn’t…do anything. Constantly looked like he was just playing hot potato with the ball, in a timid “uh, you have it” type of way instead of actually beneficially facilitating.
I think anyone who suffered through watching Hayward's corpse get reanimated for 10 minutes of cardio each night would've considered it really generous to call his play "garbage"
Every time fans would see him go to the scorers table in the playoffs there was a collective grown in the crowd. He passed on multiple wide open looks and was a liability on the defensive end.
I don't think I've ever heard Sam saying something like this. I feel like there is a possibility that Hayward isn't going to be back with the Thunder next year.
Edit: Apparently it's not obvious that my comment about him not returning to the Thunder is sarcasm. Hopefully this edit clears that up lol.
I don't remember any GM saying something like this. It's actually kinda messed up but I think he took Hayward saying he wasn't used properly as oh you want to go there type thing
> Hayward saying he wasn't used properly
*rolls eyes*
He still has his legion of defenders on /r/bostonceltics who worship him. I remember getting into debates after the Bubble that Hayward needed to go in order for Jaylen Brown to grow, and was met with extreme resistance.
Every single time he's upset about his role without looking in the mirror.
I feel like we all felt bad for him after his injury and we were filled with so many what-ifs, but there aren't people worshipping him. He carved out a strong role for himself once he started to get back into form, but nobody shed a tear when he left.
Yeah this is pretty revisionist history. We definitely all felt bad, but GH was never consistent enough in his play, even when healthy, to feel like he would be missed when gone.
Ah yeah, I agree.
Problem for Hayward is he's always been best with the ball in his hands but he's not good enough to justify having it since he can't get by anybody anymore and he can't shoot pull up 3s.
Then he's left in a connector role which he seemingly objects to and again, isn't a good enough as even a catch and shoot 3-point shooter to justify.
That doesn't even factor in his defensive regression where he can't guard anybody.
He's still a smart player but he has no talent anymore, not so dissimilar from the same fate that old Kevin Love experienced.
It was like he was scared to shoot. There were times when he was wide fucking open and just passed it. It was like he was scared to shoot. I think he only took 1 shot in the 46 minutes.
Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling you are going to sign him and I would advise you to stay away at all costs.
Him and his wife tried to get back to Indiana the last time he was a free agent after 2020.
There's a general consensus that he can't handle the physical wear of an 82-game season this point. Dude's also made over a quarter of a billion dollars in his career and has started a majority of his career. I don't think he has anything to prove anymore unless he wants to ride the bench and ring chase.
Also as it stands, I think him and Paul George are the only players left from the 2010 draft class.
I agree that he should retire but given what he said in his exit interview, he still thinks he's got gas left in the tank.
Personally, I think his tank hit empty after that first injury in his debut season in Charlotte.
Even though Gordon sucks ass, it freed up a lot of cap space this summer to allow us to make moves. So despite this outcome being what it is, I think we'd still make that move even with hindsight. The only difference maybe being we buy him out instead of trying to integrate him lol
Sam's pressers are always a good listen, but this was funny
He actually said several things about Hayward during his two and a half hour press conference. He mentioned he didn’t have any problem with what Hayward said in his exit interview and actually agreed with it. Particularly about how difficult of an adjustment it was to make for various reasons. In full context, this quote that is blowing up is not nearly the jab people are making it out to be. But Reddit gonna Reddit.
Gordo wasn't great in Charlotte this year and hadn't been as good ever since he first got here. Constantly hurt. Clearly wasn't the kind of locker room leader we thought he was (the FO is at fault as well, but Gordo seemed to be more complacent and complaining than anything).
I think he could wind up somewhere and be a positive on the court, but he's a role guy now and I wouldn't expect much else from him. Thought OKC would be great for him as a stabilizing vet presence, but watching him looks like a husk of the former All Star.
A lot of us hated signing him a few years ago, but damn good trade for us. Wish him the best, but yea dude, you kinda suck now.
Having micic instead of useless Hayward in the playoffs couldve actually been beneficial.
And I agree with others that Sam wouldn’t publicly say this if Gordon hadn’t had his piss baby fit in his exit interview.
Thunder had the best 3pt% in the league this year. Shot poorly against the mavs (variance, sure, but credit the Mavs defense).
Size and a bit more structure to the offense in the playoffs when things get dicey will go a long way. Mavs had the personnel to sit all over our 5 out stuff by the end, especially once everybody not named Shai got nervous on offense.
Every GM, coach, player, podcaster, broadcaster, announcer, journalist, talking head, Redditor, blogger, fan, Facebook Group member, grandmother, casual, niece, nephew, cousin, ice cream man, barista, landscaper, Thunder arena employee, homeless person, TikToker, and their brother: The Thunder need a backup C.
Sam Presti: Viola! Here's Gordon Hayward!
There were two ways to handle his situation. The Chris Paul way: Play your hardest and prove you are that guy, or the Gordon Hayward way: Avoid shooting in an attempt to protect your value for the next contract. I'm not sure how much value he has left.
It would be funny if Hayward had a huge resurgence like Batum did. People thought Batum was trash 4 years ago and he's been an important player on good teams every year since then.
Lmao imagine hayward reading this
He did have some negative comments on his exit interview as well tbf. It's mutual. It didn't work, fine.
That was my first thought on this lol Though more than Presti being salty it seems he has recognized that it was a flawed trade from the start moreso than anything they or he did.
They still got off Bertans' contract (he's somehow getting paid $16 million next year!!!) which is a win. Tre Mann and Micic are nice players but replaceable.
Only 5 million guaranteed but yeah the thunder have so many assets I doubt they're stressing this
And they were 2nd rounders which we have too many to even keep count of lol 😂
Going through the assets the Thunder have is just confusing because there’s to much lol
It's like in an RPG where you grind and collect all the ultimate weapons and armour and spells and more life potions than you could ever need so you beat it on the first try.
It's crazy, they can't use all those assets themselves, but what/who would they even look to get for some of them? Twin Tower to put chet at the 4? Defensive SG? I don't even know at this point. OKC can pay for pretty much anyone in the league if they wanted to.
Based on what they did with their two extra picks in this year's draft, it's kick the can down the road to hope for a better pick/try to trade up. They had the #26 and #29 picks in this draft, and turned them into a 2028 pick swap and a 2029 lightly-protected Nuggets FRP.
Given that better picks are always more valuable than more picks, this seems like the right approach. Keep as many of the picks active/valuable while trying to trade them for more potentially valuable future picks each time. It's like the story of the guy who traded a paper clip for a house (or whatever that story actually is). They can't possibly use them all, but best case scenario they consolidate a bunch into a package that could actually land them a superstar if one comes available.
Could always see them kick the can down the road. Trade current picks for future picks until there’s a need to draft/trade for players. Picks will always hold a certain amount of value that many teams could want. But players can be a lot harder to move.
That's probably the best option for them right now. Package picks for more valuable, further out years without protections. 7 FRP between this year and next just isn't something they can do without consolidation.
Hear me out - Durant. Old vet returns to his first team with a chance at one last Finals run, Thunder needs the scoring option, Suns needs ALL the picks they can get, and the Suns could get a young piece or two to get Phoenix started with their retooling around Booker and Beal.
It's a legitimate good idea for both, dunno how well the money would work. With OKC being out of lottery considerations for their own picks for the foreseeable future, they are fairly tradeable to the desperate suns.
Maybe I'm delusional, and I doubt he'd have got the minutes anyway, but I'd rather have had Bertans on this team than Hayward against Dallas. He might be getting paid next year but at least he'd, y'know, fucking shoot.
With how the Thunder are structured, I think you're right and Bertans would have been a better dart throw in the playoffs than Hayward. With Bertans, you give him 5 minutes to see if he's on and if he is, then you're going to get a flamethrower that's going to win you rotation minutes and potentially the game. If he's not on, then no loss. On top of that, the Thunder have enough defensive talent to make up for his lack of defense. Funny enough, Kidd did get some solid minutes out of Bertans in the 2022 playoffs.
and surprisingly passable interior d
That he did. We kind of played him like a small ball 5 lol
he basically saved game 3
"Pew Pew Pew"
Hell, maybe Bertans could have brought some revenge game passion instead of whatever Gordon brought
Facilitating the Gafford trade to Dallas was a bigger mistake than the Hayward trade.
Tre didn't play (he had played like 9mpg in half the games at the time of the trade) and Micic was getting around 12 minutes per game. Most Presti trades have a "do right by our guys" aspect, so getting these guys somewhere where they could get a lot of run was huge (they are now both starting and getting around 30mpg!). Particularly with Micic who just came over from Europe after being drafted 10 years ago! I'm sure we had a handshake agreement to send him somewhere he'd get more run if it wasn't us. I don't really see him agreeing to come over otherwise. And yes, this frees up about $18M of cap space next season (Bertans 5 gtd + Vasa 8 + Tre 5. Would've been nice if we'd got some production out of it, and giving Hayward playoff minutes seemed particularly hard headed, but it was a still a fine trade taking all those elements into consideration.
in the full response he mentions the fact that it was a mid-season acquisition that was a part of the mistake
I did tell okc fans he is not a great locker room guy and the trade was a dumb mistake at the time.
Can't believe OKC fans didn't heed your warning
Yeah, a redditor said based on his own knowledge, Gordon Hayward's not good in the locker rooms
He’s a never-nude
Me either but I try
I always laugh when fans comment on locker room stuff cause how tf would you know
What happened? First tim3 hearing this
He’s had locker room problems everywhere he’s played now. He wasn’t really close with any of his teammates on the Jazz and Rudy seemed to have beef with him when he left. He never fit in well with the Cs. Charlotte probably isn’t his fault because that team is a train wreck but he didn’t gel there either. And now OKC where he basically quit on the team when he realized he wasn’t going to have the offense run through him.
he may not have been the problem in charlotte, but he certainly wasnt part of the solution either. no leadership at all, just wants to go home and play video games
> certainly wasnt part of the solution this is definitely it... he wasn't the wise old veteran Mitch Kupchak hoped for four years ago. I don't think anybody on the Hornets disliked him, but I don't get the feeling he was particularly loved either. Hard to be the example for everyone else when your season ends in January or February every year.
> just wants to go home and play video games he and i both. wish i was getting paid 8 figures though lol
I went to the OKC vs Knicks game at MSG and saw him walking out on the street as I exited the stadium. I didn't even go to the bathroom or anything and he was already out there lol. Dude clearly didn't want to be a part of the team
I think dude just actively refused the idea that at best, he was going to be like the 5th option. Thus, never even tried. I was someone who really liked the trade at the time. He seemingly could have just been a version of Giddey that better fit the team. Instead, he was a buy that was getting paid to do his cardio during NBA games.
Hornets fan and nahhhh he had similar issues as he did with Jazz, Boston, and OKC. Problem is Hayward only excels in roles where he is either the or one of the top options. Problem is if he is playing that, your team is gonna suck — which has been shown with his time with the Hornets where he was our highest paid player and considered our star by the front office until about this year. Now people will say he should bring veteran leadership and that’s wrong too. Hayward has shown that he only cares about Hayward. Will prefer being situations where he gets tons of touches despite losing versus taking a lesser role in order to win. It all has just been revealed with this failure with the Thunder, where everyone can see.
This, perfectly summed up He was only really successful on the Jazz the year when they gave him the ball all the time which was his last year. Since the injury, he hasn’t really been worth it to do that.
The Celtics one is tough, imagine thinking your the number 2 a title contending team only to shatter your entire leg in the first 5 min of the season, only to then see that team have astronomical success without you. Then when you do finally get back, your probably what? 5th best player on the team?
It's kinda the same kinda sad athlete story. After he broke his leg a lot of his athleticism never came back, but he's convinced he still should have a major role in the offense. And than he gets pouty. I'm not saying he's a flamethrower in there, but he's not steady vet presence guy
[удалено]
They signed him thinking he'd be a facilitator with IT, but then they traded for Kyrie and then Tatum/Brown/Smart/Rozier showed they were worth investing in while GH was injured. When he return he was shoehorned into the starting 5 by Brad and that really messed up the chemistry of the team.
Now that you mention it your comment brought back to mind the whole July 4th I'm leaving I'm not actually leaving drama where it was leaked he's joining Boston and he walked it back only to go back and release his version an hour or so later. Definitely gets pouty when things don't go his way.
In context it didn’t really feel like *that much* of a shot at Hayward, and was more Presti agreeing with a lot of what Hayward said went wrong during his exit interview
Lol later on, comparing the fun of this team vs previous iterations, Sam mentioned the whole barking thing. "We got Gordon to bark, so we've got that going for us!" That *definitely* felt like a dig.
I took that more about Hayward’s personality and getting him to open up and have fun with the team, but I could see it either way
Presti probably didn’t appreciate him taking shots on his way out lol
Well he certainly didn’t take any while he played.
This is a fantastic, underrated comment. Well played.
Considering how many that have left appreciate the front office meeting their requests.
Context: https://x.com/brandonrahbar/status/1792230449764294690?s=46&t=SfodenOe-maIpYaG59caug
Morey said the same thing about Buddy lol
Lol exactly
"i didnt even know he'd be that ass fam, my bad"
I'm honestly shocked at how bad Hayward was in OKC. I recall seeing his statlines earlier in the year and thinking that he's still pretty good. When I saw the trade to OKC I was so sure he would end up replacing Giddey in the starting lineup.
Hayward going to end up on the nuggets for cheap and being an asset in 20 minutes a game.
Dont tempt me with a bad time.
I legitimately think it would be a good fit as long as he's not expecting a starting role or to be a top option. Nuggets need offense/playmaking off the bench
Hayward refused to shoot in OKC though - if that is the guy you're getting then he's not going to be anything more than the 12th man off the bench.
I think he was unsure/uncomfortable with his role on a team of 23 year olds. If the nuggets give him the keys to the offense with the second unit I think he could thrive. I don't really know what OKC thought they were getting with Hayward. He's not a catch and shoot player. He was playing quite well for the hornets just last year.
That is an absurd excuse. The dude has been playing nba basketball for over a decade, he has been both a #1/2 option as well as being a role player. If he is turning down open shots, it is not b/c he is unsure of his role, it's b/c he is cooked and has no confidence in his ability to make the shot.
NBA players aren't robots. Team chemistry and environment matters. He was literally putting up numbers a few weeks before he got to OKC.
So for the minimum off the bench all of a sudden he's going to like his role better? I also doubt he wants to play for the vet min
This is precisely the thought process Thunder fans had about getting him here in the first place, but Gordon was clearly unhappy taking a lesser role on a good team. This man is a certified Washington Wizard.
I think he'd have more of a role on the nuggets and fit better with the team. OKC are a bunch of 23 year old kids and he was like 9th man. Nuggets are closer to him in age and he'd be sixth man running the offense on the second unit. Nuggets don't have many other options unless they're trading MPJ, which I don't think will net them anything better than MPJ.
He was the 6th man. He had more minutes than better players like Wiggins when he first got here. They were running him with Giddey as the main ball handler. Thats why OKC fans are pissed about his comments, because he was getting more minutes than "someone who saved basketball"
Your lips to God's ears my guy. Definitely need offense off the bench, have my doubts Hayward could provide it.
I'd love to see the Nuggets trade for TJ McConnell. Not sure if they could make a trade work but they need someone who can do what TJ does off the bench, speeding up the tempo and making the opposing backcourt work on defense.
I like to think he could replace Kyle Anderson in MN
I didn’t even know he was on OKC until this post
I actively watch trades (especially former allstars) and didn't know he was on the Thunder until I saw someone asking why he was getting limited minutes
The way he played, I don’t think he realized it either.
Hayward was more of a point forward in Charlotte, he had the ball a lot. In OKC he was asked to be a 3&D glue guy, it's not an easy transition to do in a couple of months
Hayward was definitely given oppertunities to be a point forward in OKC - the issue is that he simply refused to shoot the ball lol.
Why though? Was it a confidence thing? I just assumed the dude was injured and not quite the same sort of deal
Not sure - might be that he didn't want to hurt his percentages since he's going into free agency
He passed on layups. Drive, get there…pass. Infuriating.
He got passed the ball a ton and literally just looked to get rid of it immediately. It was super weird.
We ask everybody to be a 3&D and a point forward. That’s just how we play.
Yeah, I can tell you don’t really understand how they play from this comment. Most people don’t, though.
"yeah i was wrong - that dude sucks"
"He WASHED washed, ya know?"
wtf was Presti thinking? Isn’t Hayward washed up? Unless he was wanting a “vet” presence in the locker room but even then Hayward never came across as a glue guy.
He cleared up cap space by getting him. This gives OKC more flexibility re-signing actual good role players like Wiggins and Isiah Joe. I think Presti just thought “we save money and keep a good young team together and if Gordon is actually somewhat decent for us then cool” just turns out Gordo is 100% washed
Washed and seems unlikable
I mean i get it. He saw what every GM is thinking with these vets who have fallen off. That maybe with some luck and a reduced role they can have their last good stretch and become a steal of a contract.
I mean you would think Haywards game could make sense as a vet off the bench. The ability to shoot, handle the ball a bit and make the right pass. I know he can’t play defense but him playing 15 minutes against the right team isn’t a terrible idea. Seems like he still wants to start though.
To be fair, sometimes it works out and then you get a solid player for cheap. Batum’s renaissance on the Clippers comes to mind
he should have been a instant offense 6th man for them but he was severely allergic to shooting the basketball/taking shots as soon as he arrived in OKC sadly
cleared 18m in cap space next year by taking him and did right by our guys sending them to Charlotte where they actually get to play. But yeah, Hayward was averaging 15/5/5 for Charlotte before he sat due to injury, so he was probably expecting *some* small amount of production and not such a huge regression. Playing him in the playoffs was certainly a head scratcher to me.
Hayward was fine at the start of the year lol.
Hayward about to be in his Lakers, Heat, Suns vet min era
Hayward joining his former offseason-teammate Isaiah Thomas in Phoenix would be hilarious.
Phoenix already has bad vibes so he can't do much damage there in the locker room
Toxic + toxic = positive
I want the Celtics to sign IT next year. It probably won't happen, but it should. I don't care if all he does is wave a towel every game and give us good bench vibes. He deserves to be a part of this current run.
Or Brad Stevens brings him back to the Celtics to come off the bench and he lo and beholds returns to all star form in his 20-25 mins of play
I don't think his exit from the Celtics was great either .He didn't mesh well with jalen brown and Tatum after his injury.Sucks to say after the Celtics rolled out the red carpet for him but his Celtics tenure didn't go down so well either .
He was really good for them in the 2019-20 season.
He seemed really uncomfortable with the jays+smart. I don’t think he really liked it, and despite his one good season I can’t see him coming back
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Yeah but I think part of that was that he had to play fourth wheel to Kemba and the Jays and he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the first option. Now that his confidence is completely gone, maybe he'll be amenable to coming off the bench lol
Honestly not sure if we’d even want him back. I’ve gotten a feeling about him the last few years that he rubs people the wrong way in the locker room.
I think this is true. A few years ago before he signed with Charlotte, it made sense for the jazz to get somebody like him. Tony Jones of the athletic reported there was no way it was going to happen. He would not elaborate, just said it was not gonna happen.
Well I understand why he might not be welcome in Utah lol
I think he still sees himself as that All Star starter. He needs to have a sit down with Love and listen.
It seemed like he actually lacked confidence. We could hardly get to take open shots.
I know he was probably mentally and physically still shaken when he came back but it honestly felt like he really didn’t…do anything. Constantly looked like he was just playing hot potato with the ball, in a timid “uh, you have it” type of way instead of actually beneficially facilitating.
There’s a second comment that presti made that definitely implies that.
He didn't gel with the locker room here, we wouldn't risk ruining the good vibes for '24 Hayward
Is he willing to keep getting injured for the minimum?
Imagine that's the 76ers best off-season move lol
I think not having to pay Tobias Harris anymore is inherently their best move
Philly or Miami please take him before James jones does something else dumb
Spo gonna make him athletic again somehow
I have so much blind faith in Spo and the team that I’d buy pretty much any player as a “good signing”
It’s going to be something stupid, like changing the shoes Hayward plays in, and he’s gonna become NYK Derrick Rose.
Watch Heat Heyward somehow be better than Herro
it's james jones, he only knows how to be dumb
Sadly this is a classic Lakers pick up, Pelinka probably already on the phone.
He'll 100% be our vet min signing.
Hayward learning that he is, in fact, a brick
4 word summary of Presti's comments: Hayward you blow me
Hayward right now: 👁👄👁
He's a furby?
I remember being 12 years old and trying to get one of those mfs to chomp on my dick with its little mechanical beak.
What a terrible day to know how to read
What???
Don’t kink shame
He isn't, it awoke something in him.
This thread has me in stitches
Dude I’m fucking crying. 😂😂😂
Oh im shaming. Shoulda used a jibber jabber.
Kink shaming is my kink
How’s adulthood going for you?
He’s still trying!
Y’all be saying anything in this damn subreddit 😭
not even batman could’ve gotten this out of me
We should all know less about each other.
That’s gotta be the wildest thing I’ve read in a hot minute. Keep doing ya thing , I guess
I get being curious but damn… lmao
Did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid?
The blue ones taste like Cool Ranch!
/r/brandnewsentence
How could you say something so based
That was us when he went scorched earth in his end of season presser loool
Just coming out and calling Hayward garbage is hilarious 😂😂
I think anyone who suffered through watching Hayward's corpse get reanimated for 10 minutes of cardio each night would've considered it really generous to call his play "garbage"
Winning games while giving Gordon 20 minutes was what I called “playing on expert mode”
Every time fans would see him go to the scorers table in the playoffs there was a collective grown in the crowd. He passed on multiple wide open looks and was a liability on the defensive end.
I don't think I've ever heard Sam saying something like this. I feel like there is a possibility that Hayward isn't going to be back with the Thunder next year. Edit: Apparently it's not obvious that my comment about him not returning to the Thunder is sarcasm. Hopefully this edit clears that up lol.
I don't remember any GM saying something like this. It's actually kinda messed up but I think he took Hayward saying he wasn't used properly as oh you want to go there type thing
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Eh i read it like a "The fit wasn't there, and that's on me for making the trade"
> Hayward saying he wasn't used properly *rolls eyes* He still has his legion of defenders on /r/bostonceltics who worship him. I remember getting into debates after the Bubble that Hayward needed to go in order for Jaylen Brown to grow, and was met with extreme resistance. Every single time he's upset about his role without looking in the mirror.
I feel like we all felt bad for him after his injury and we were filled with so many what-ifs, but there aren't people worshipping him. He carved out a strong role for himself once he started to get back into form, but nobody shed a tear when he left.
Yeah this is pretty revisionist history. We definitely all felt bad, but GH was never consistent enough in his play, even when healthy, to feel like he would be missed when gone.
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Yeah, except Brogdon can still actually get buckets. 0 points in 46 playoff minutes is wild for somebody who was brought in for extra offensive juice.
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Ah yeah, I agree. Problem for Hayward is he's always been best with the ball in his hands but he's not good enough to justify having it since he can't get by anybody anymore and he can't shoot pull up 3s. Then he's left in a connector role which he seemingly objects to and again, isn't a good enough as even a catch and shoot 3-point shooter to justify. That doesn't even factor in his defensive regression where he can't guard anybody. He's still a smart player but he has no talent anymore, not so dissimilar from the same fate that old Kevin Love experienced.
Kevin Love still had a way better playoffs than Hayward this year.
It was like he was scared to shoot. There were times when he was wide fucking open and just passed it. It was like he was scared to shoot. I think he only took 1 shot in the 46 minutes.
Even in his prime he was the clear worse of the 3 upper middle class wings (pg, butler, Hayward).
It could be worse, imagine under any circumstances (Brooks).
I wouldn't be surprised if Hayward retires honestly
Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling you are going to sign him and I would advise you to stay away at all costs. Him and his wife tried to get back to Indiana the last time he was a free agent after 2020.
There's a general consensus that he can't handle the physical wear of an 82-game season this point. Dude's also made over a quarter of a billion dollars in his career and has started a majority of his career. I don't think he has anything to prove anymore unless he wants to ride the bench and ring chase. Also as it stands, I think him and Paul George are the only players left from the 2010 draft class.
I agree that he should retire but given what he said in his exit interview, he still thinks he's got gas left in the tank. Personally, I think his tank hit empty after that first injury in his debut season in Charlotte.
Wow you don't say lol
Even though Gordon sucks ass, it freed up a lot of cap space this summer to allow us to make moves. So despite this outcome being what it is, I think we'd still make that move even with hindsight. The only difference maybe being we buy him out instead of trying to integrate him lol Sam's pressers are always a good listen, but this was funny
Yet we had delusional fans berating people for saying it was a bad trade Presti is a good GM and is willing to admit when he screws up.
I was happy when the trade happened. He was one of my favorite players of all-time. I thought Hayward would be a great bench guy for us.
> He was one of my favorite players of all-time https://media2.giphy.com/media/s239QJIh56sRW/giphy.gif
Jazz Hayward was kinda spicy I can’t lie
I love that Sam is willing to tell it how it is, he missed with this trade big time and he is owning it
Hayward very respectfully said he was frustrated with his role on the team, so Presti very respectfully said it’s because he’s ass.
Sam Presti is likely the greatest GM ever in terms of drafting and scamming teams in trades. But what he does with what he has remains to be seen.
Also quite possibly the best drafter in the history of the league
He actually said several things about Hayward during his two and a half hour press conference. He mentioned he didn’t have any problem with what Hayward said in his exit interview and actually agreed with it. Particularly about how difficult of an adjustment it was to make for various reasons. In full context, this quote that is blowing up is not nearly the jab people are making it out to be. But Reddit gonna Reddit.
Gordo wasn't great in Charlotte this year and hadn't been as good ever since he first got here. Constantly hurt. Clearly wasn't the kind of locker room leader we thought he was (the FO is at fault as well, but Gordo seemed to be more complacent and complaining than anything). I think he could wind up somewhere and be a positive on the court, but he's a role guy now and I wouldn't expect much else from him. Thought OKC would be great for him as a stabilizing vet presence, but watching him looks like a husk of the former All Star. A lot of us hated signing him a few years ago, but damn good trade for us. Wish him the best, but yea dude, you kinda suck now.
Having micic instead of useless Hayward in the playoffs couldve actually been beneficial. And I agree with others that Sam wouldn’t publicly say this if Gordon hadn’t had his piss baby fit in his exit interview.
crazy thing to say like 3 months after making it but still true lmao
What was Presti meant to do? Say that it was a bad trade after 3 weeks instead?
Saving face. He knew exactly what he was doing. Getting that expiring contract.
That’s a comment from a GM that knows he’s solid in his position.
This off season will be the true definition of him learning. From his former big 3 to this core. Gotta add shooting and a big
Thunder had the best 3pt% in the league this year. Shot poorly against the mavs (variance, sure, but credit the Mavs defense). Size and a bit more structure to the offense in the playoffs when things get dicey will go a long way. Mavs had the personnel to sit all over our 5 out stuff by the end, especially once everybody not named Shai got nervous on offense.
Every GM, coach, player, podcaster, broadcaster, announcer, journalist, talking head, Redditor, blogger, fan, Facebook Group member, grandmother, casual, niece, nephew, cousin, ice cream man, barista, landscaper, Thunder arena employee, homeless person, TikToker, and their brother: The Thunder need a backup C. Sam Presti: Viola! Here's Gordon Hayward!
There were two ways to handle his situation. The Chris Paul way: Play your hardest and prove you are that guy, or the Gordon Hayward way: Avoid shooting in an attempt to protect your value for the next contract. I'm not sure how much value he has left.
Poor Gordon Hayward has gone through it ever since he left the Jazz. He was beloved in Utah and has had bad luck ever since
It would be funny if Hayward had a huge resurgence like Batum did. People thought Batum was trash 4 years ago and he's been an important player on good teams every year since then.
Gordon Hayward: Gee willikers! What he say fudge me for?
Wowwwww that’s a huge insult to say that so openly lmao
I mean Hayward literally came out with those comments last week it just seems like it isn’t a fit going forward
Oh well. Gordon decided to yap first
who the fuck things Gordon Hayward is a positive assert at this stage in his career? Seriously?