Former Boston Celtics ahead Gordon Hayward thought he would fill a sure function with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder after being dealt there on the NBA commerce deadline by the Charlotte Hornets.
However issues didn’t pan out how Hayward envisioned. And ultimately, Hayward soured on his temporary stint with the Thunder, who have been bounced from the second spherical of the NBA playoffs Saturday evening by the Dallas Mavericks.
“Clearly disappointing with the way it all labored out,” Hayward advised reporters Sunday, per The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi. “This isn’t what I believed it could be. Actually irritating. However it’s what it’s.”
Hayward added: “I really feel like as a participant I’ve loads to supply. I simply wasn’t given a lot of a chance to do this, and I believed I used to be going to get that chance.”
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Hayward isn’t the identical kind of participant that was an All-Star throughout his ultimate season with the Utah Jazz in 2016-17 and even the affect starter he was throughout three seasons with the Celtics. However the 34-year-old nonetheless anticipated to be a contributor off the bench for a younger Thunder squad with NBA title aspirations.
Hayward performed in 26 video games for the Thunder within the common season, averaging simply 5.3 factors, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 17.2 minutes, which was down from the 31.9 minutes per recreation he acquired with the Hornets.
Oklahoma Metropolis turned virtually fully away from Hayward within the playoffs. Hayward performed a complete of 46 minutes in seven playoff video games and scored zero factors. He didn’t see the court docket within the ultimate three video games of the Thunder’s season.
“I believe the minutes have been definitely down and sporadic, clearly to some extent the place it was nonexistent,” Hayward stated. “Then simply after I was out there may be restricted touches, I’d say.”
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Hayward will probably be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and given how his time went with Oklahoma Metropolis, it feels extremely unlikely he sticks round with the Thunder.
That might open up the door for him to attempt to chase a hoop elsewhere, maybe even with the Celtics. However he would should be prepared to almost definitely take a minimal deal to return.
