According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Charlotte Hornets are planning to deal guard Tre Mann, forward Davis Bertans, former Euroleague MVP (2021) Vasilije Micic, and draft compensation to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for veteran forward Gordon Hayward.
In 2020, Hayward agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets, but he has missed 118 of the 286 games that he might have played in, accounting for a large portion of those years. Hayward averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and four assists a game while he was a member of the Hornets.
Among the rookies is 23-year-old Mann, who was selected by Oklahoma City in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft with the 18th overall pick. Mann’s role has decreased in each of the last two seasons after averaging 10.4 points per game in his rookie campaign. He has played in just 13 games this year, averaging nine minutes per game.
Despite playing in just 15 games this season, 31-year-old Bertans has a strong resume as a reserve forward. Bertans has averaged 7.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game over his career.
For the previous five years, Micic, a 30-year-old rookie, has been among the top point guards in the Euroleague. Last offseason, Micic inked a three-year, $23.7 million contract with OKC, with a team option for the final year.
Unless more roster spots are available in a different move, Charlotte will need to release two players in order to finalize this trade. The proposed compensation’s specifics have not yet been released as of the time this post was written.
