Gordon Hayward made headlines when he opted out of his $34 million player option. People were surprised and were left wondering where he would go. This was answered when Hayward signed a four year, $128 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets.

The move came as a shock to many. People expected Hayward to go to a different team like the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks. However, Hayward chose to maximize his salary and go to Charlotte.

Rumors suggest the Hornets owner Michael Jordan called Hayward personally to try to bring him to his franchise. NBA analysts commented that the contract is significantly high for a player of Hayward’s injury history and statistics.

Hayward was the fourth scoring option in the Boston Celtics behind Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, and Jaylen Brown. Last season, Hayward averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Hayward’s numbers over the past few years have diminished. He has not had the same numbers as his All-Star year with the Utah Jazz.

Gordon Hayward shocks the NBA

Gordon Hayward now joins LaMelo Ball as the franchise’s stars. The Hornets haven’t had exciting players to drum up fan interest since the departure of Kemba Walker in free agency.

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Hayward will want to prove people wrong and will want to show them that he is worth his salary. He will be driven to justify his price tag to the Charlotte Hornets and the rest of the NBA. Even fellow players in the NBA were surprised by Hayward’s move to the Charlotte Hornets, much like the rest of the world was.

The Portland Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum spoke about Hayward’s move to the Charlotte Hornets. McCollum suggested that Hayward knew about the offer from the Hornets before he rejected his player option. McCollum said, “I was surprised with Gordon Hayward. When he opted out of $34 million, I knew he had to have a bag on the table. Any man with a smart woman in his life is not turning down that type of money unless they have got more money coming in.”

It will be interesting to see how Gordon Hayward and the Charlotte Hornets perform when the new season begins on December 22. Hornets fans will be excited to see Hayward and LaMelo Ball in action.