Gordon Hayward Rumors: Knicks Offered 4-Year Contract Before Hornets Deal

The New York Knicks made a significant push to sign Gordon Hayward in free agency before the small forward agreed to join the Charlotte Hornets, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.  

Charlotte inked the former Boston Celtics star to a four-year, $120 million deal, but Hayward apparently had a contract of similar length available to him with the Knicks:

"The Knicks, for the record, were in the Hayward chase throughout. After the Knicks weighed their own trade for Westbrook, they pursued Hayward much harder, with Coach Tom Thibodeau serving as lead admirer. The Knicks eventually decided to increase their offer to four years from two to compete with sign-and-trade interest from Indiana and Charlotte, but the Hornets went to a financial level for Hayward that no rival was willing to match."

Hayward declined a $34.2 million player option in Boston to test free agency, and the gamble paid off extremely well for the 30-year-old. 

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Hornets were able to close the deal when team governor Michael Jordan called Hayward to discuss his future with the organization. That might not be the only reason the Knicks lost out on him, but it certainly didn't help matters. 

New York will now fill out its roster with Alec Burks, Austin Rivers, Reggie Bullock and Kevin Knox at the wing. First-round pick Obi Toppin and Julius Randle will spend plenty of time filling the forward spots. 

This is still a relatively young Knicks team that could have benefited from Hayward's experience, but it's unlikely the former Butler star would've been enough to put New York on the playoff bubble. 

That's exactly where he finds himself in Charlotte as another rebuilding club looks to take a step forward this season behind him, guard Devonte' Graham and 2020 No. 3 pick LaMelo Ball. 

As Knicks president Leon Rose and head coach Tom Thibodeau continue to build out the roster in their image, targeting a player with the skill set of Hayward may show what traits they value most moving forward.