NBA Rumors: Latest on Gordon Hayward Sign-and-Trade, Lakers, Clippers and More
It's been one week since NBA teams could begin negotiating with free agents, and things have certainly been eventful around the league.
Many of the top players on the market have either signed with new teams or worked out deals to return to their former team. There have been trades going down, and rosters have started to take shape for the 2020-21 season.
The new campaign is scheduled to begin Dec. 22, so it's not a surprise that teams have moved so fast. Before long, they'll already be in training camps getting ready for the season.
However, there will still be more moves to come before then. Here's some of the latest buzz from around the NBA.
Third Team Involved in Hayward Sign-and-Trade?
One of the biggest moves of the offseason came when it was reported that Gordon Hayward will be joining the Charlotte Hornets after spending the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics.
However, the move has yet to be finalized, as it could end up being a sign-and-trade deal—and not just between these two teams.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets have been looking to add a third team to the deal so that they won't have to waive veteran forward Nicolas Batum and be responsible for the $27 million he's owed (which they'd stretch over the next three seasons). The deal would also land the Celtics a trade exception.
The Athletic's Jared Weiss noted that the Oklahoma City Thunder could be a fit as the third team in this deal. They recently generated a trade exception worth more than $27 million (the largest in NBA history), so they could add Batum to their roster.
However, Weiss said the "major sticking point" is what Oklahoma City would receive as compensation in the move and whether it would come from Charlotte or Boston.
At some point, Hayward is going to be playing for the Hornets, whether they end up waiving Batum or completing a sign-and-trade deal with either just the Celtics or with a third team included as well.
Hayward is coming off a bounce-back season in Boston in which he averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 52 games.
The 30-year-old is entering his 11th NBA season and will be joining a Charlotte lineup that should get a boost from rookie point guard LaMelo Ball, who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
Batum appears likely to be heading to a new team after spending the past five seasons with the Hornets. The 31-year-old had a down season in 2019-20, averaging just 3.6 points per contest while being limited to 22 games due to injury.
Robinson Garnering Interest on Free-Agent Market
There are still some quality players available in the free-agent pool, including forward Glenn Robinson III. He is coming off his best NBA season, having averaged a career-high 11.7 points in 62 games between the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.
The 26-year-old may not be returning to either of those teams in 2020-21, though. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, there are five teams that have been showing interest in Robinson: the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz.
That's a strong list of suitors, so Robinson could have a key role for a contender next season.
The Lakers and Clippers have each already revamped their rosters this offseason. The NBA champion Lakers have brought in guards Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews, forward Montrezl Harrell and center Marc Gasol. The Clippers lost Harrell, but they have added guard Luke Kennard and center Serge Ibaka.
The Rockets have been active, too, adding forward Christian Wood.
Robinson, a six-year NBA veteran, proved himself this past season while playing a career-high 28.8 minutes per game (he had never previously averaged more than 20.7). If he can build off that in 2020-21, he should provide a boost to any of these teams.
