This isn’t exactly what the Charlotte Hornets had in mind when they handed Gordon Hayward $120 million in November. Recent NBA news indicates that the often-injured former Utah Jazz All-Star is dealing with yet another ailment.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Hayward has suffered a avulsion fracture of his pinky finger. While the Hornets are listing Hayward day-to-day, this seems to be a multi-week injury. At the very least, it will impact him with the Hornets’ regular season slated to start against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a week.
For the 30-year-old Hayward, this is just the latest example in a laundry list of injuries he has had to deal with over the past several years.
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NBA news: Gordon Hayward injury history
- 2017-18: Hayward suffered a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in his left leg just six minutes into his Boston Celtics career after inking a four-year, $128 million contract with the team. He would not play again that season.
- 2019-20: Hayward suffered an ankle sprain during the NBA restart at Walt Disney World in Orland on Aug. 17. He would ultimately miss more than a month of action before returning to the court.
Despite all of this, Charlotte acquired Gordon Hayward in a sign and trade with the Celtics last month. This included the team handing him a four-year, $120 million contract. Obviously, this injury is not a great way for Hayward to start his career in Charlotte.
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Charlotte Hornets depth chart
If Hayward is forced to miss the start of the regular season, Charlotte’s depth chart will take a hit. Here’s a look at its current iteration.
- LaMelo Ball, Grant Riller
- Devonte’ Graham, Terry Rozier, Malik Monk
- Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin, Caleb Martin
- P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, Jalen McDaniels, Vernon Carey Jr.
- Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, Nick Richards
As you can see, Cody Martin would likely fill in for Hayward with Miles Bridges potentially playing some three. Not a great scenario.