NBA Rumors: Cavaliers Reportedly ‘Would Gladly’ Trade For Gordon Hayward Next Summer
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2018-19 NBA season with one of the worst records in the league, but there are still no clear signs that they are planning to undergo a full-scale rebuild in the summer of 2019. With their intention to keep Kevin Love, the Cavaliers are expected to find ways to build a roster that can help them to at least return to the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the 2019-20 NBA season.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland Plain Dealer, one of the NBA players that the Cavaliers could target on the trade market in the 2019 NBA offseason is Gordon Hayward of the Boston Celtics. If Kyrie Irving decides to leave Boston in the 2019 NBA free agency, the Celtics may consider unloading the lucrative deals of Hayward and Al Horford, who will earn a combined $64.2 million in salary next season, and focus on rebuilding the team around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Gordon Hayward may have failed to live up to expectations from the massive contract he signed in the summer of 2017, but Fedor believes that the Cavaliers “would gladly” take him if the Celtics make him available on the trade market in the 2019 NBA offseason.
“The Cavs would gladly take the polarizing Hayward, who was an All-Star in Utah before his horrific leg injury. He would be the main prize, the exception to Cleveland demanding a draft pick or ascending player on a rookie deal. Hayward is healthy now and will have a full off-season to try to regain his old form, possibly giving the Cavs another piece to accelerate their timeline. Put Hayward, 29, alongside Kevin Love, Collin Sexton and the duo added in Round One and suddenly Cleveland has the look of a playoff team.”
Brad Stevens, Nate McMillan talk up Gordon Hayward’s return to form https://t.co/wn4MJotXGl
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 14, 2019
If they are only aiming to get rid of Gordon Hayward’s lucrative deal, Fedor thinks that a trade package that includes the expiring contracts of John Henson or Jordan Clarkson would be enough to convince the Celtics to send Gordon Hayward to Cleveland. Hayward is yet to regain his All-Star form since suffering a grave injury last season, but his arrival will undeniably boost the Cavaliers’ chance of returning to the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Kevin Love may currently be considered as the face of the franchise, but it wouldn’t be a problem for him to give Gordon Hayward the role as their main option on the offensive end of the floor. In the four consecutive seasons he played alongside LeBron James, Love learned how to efficiently play offensively, even when the ball is not in his hands.
