The Miami Heat are the betting favourites to sign Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward.
BetCarolina.com gives the Heat +450 odds, or an 18.2 percent chance, to be Hayward’s next team. The Heat are followed by the Golden State Warriors with +500 chances, the Los Angeles Lakers with +700 odds, and the Dallas Mavericks with +700 odds.
These probabilities are based on an Eastern Conference executive recently discussing Hayward joining the Heat.
Hayward is in his 14th season in the NBA, and his fourth with the Hornets. He is averaging 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in 23 appearances during the 2023-24 regular season, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Since joining the Hornets, the veteran has struggled to remain healthy, never playing more than 50 games in a season. Hayward, on the other hand, is on course to buck that pattern this season, having appeared in 23 of the Hornets’ 26 games thus far.
While Hayward has been productive and usually available for the Hornets since the season began, his age (33), perhaps, does not fit their timeline. The Hornets appear to be a long way from contending for a postseason place, with a 7-19 record and six straight losses.
The Hornets last won at home on December 8, nearly two weeks ago, when they defeated the Toronto Raptors. In 35 minutes of action, Hayward finished with a team-high 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the team’s three-point victory.
Hayward might be a valuable addition to the Heat because he can do it all on the attacking end of the court while still being a great defender. As the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches, fans of the Miami Heat should keep an eye out for his name.
