But as critical as their current status is, GM Rob Pelinka knows his job is safe. That means he has zero incentive to actually get some work done and improve the roster before this is another wasted season.

Fortunately, however, Pelinka might catch a break as another struggling team could be desperate enough to trade for Russell Westbrook without asking for first-round picks as well: The Charlotte Hornets.

NBA Rumors: Lakers, Hornets Could Swap Former All-Stars

According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, there’s a chance the Lakers and Hornets swap former All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Gordon Hayward in a trade that would also send Mason Plumleeto Los Angeles andMax Christie and 2023 second-round pick to Charlotte:

(via Bleacher Report)

“A 4-14 record should already have the Hornets thinking about next season. Finding ways to clear future cap space and get a better 2023 first-round pick is the best path forward at this point.

Swapping Hayward’s contract for Westbrook’s expiring deal saves Charlotte nearly $30 million this summer, and moving Plumlee opens up more playing time for young centers like Mark Williams and Kai Jones. Christie, 19, is an interesting prospect as well.

The Lakers pick up two starting-quality players without having to give up a future first-round pick. Hayward’s contract can be used this summer as an expiring trade chip to attach picks to if needed.”

This seems like the best-case scenario for everybody involved, especially the Lakers, as they’d be dropping the guy they wanted to drop without having to give up any draft capital in the transaction.

Considering that Brooklyn’s demands could be too high even for a star like KD, Miami was also linked with a move for Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. However, Utah would also expect a hefty return to let him go.

The weeks have passedand it doesn’t seem like the Heat have made progress on anyof their priority targets. Therefore, Pat Riley would already have a ‘Plan B’in case the negotiations for Durant or Mitchell never move forward.

Rumor: Heat would keep tabs on Hornets’ Gordon Hayward

“I think a guy the Heat will keep an eye on is Gordon Hayward,” an NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “Charlotte’s in a tough position with the (Miles) Bridges thing, they have (Steve) Clifford coming in, they’re in a position to rest things a little bit around LaMelo Ball. Hayward has two years left.”

“If the Heat want to give up [Tyler] Herro before you pay him and you want to move [Duncan] Robinson, you would have to add a pick, but those two guys and Omer [Yurtseven], that might be enough to get Hayward if the Hornets decide to reconfigure.”

Hayward, 32, was posting decent numbers for the Hornets before an ankle injury in February ruled him out for the remainder of the season – but moving Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson to get him would make little sense. That said, Hayward could be a nice fit in the wake of PJ Tucker’s departure.

That’s why you’d assume that he’d take any offer that includes a solid big man and a first-round pick for a guy that wants to leave his team. Yet, that wasn’t the case when the Indiana Pacers reached out to him.

According to J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star, the Pacers picked up the phone to offer Myles Turner and a first-rounder to complete a sign-and-trade for Gordon Hayward, but Ainge and the Celtics declined their offer.

Boston Celtics Turned Down Myles Turner And A Pick For Gordon Hayward

This doesn’t make any sense if you consider the fact that it’s been said over and over that all the Celtics need to get over the hump and compete for an NBA Championship is adding a talented big man, and Turner is one of the best rim-protectors in the league and also has a versatile offensive repertoire.

That’s why ESPN’s Zach Lowe concluded that they simply didn’t want Myles Turner because there wasn’t a logical reason to turn down this kind of deal, especially for a guy that wanted to leave anyways:

“Talking to people and reading the tea leaves as best I could, it really comes down to the Celtics didn’t want Myles Turner. I did hear from some teams around the league that the Celtics have done some preliminary research on what Myles Turner’s trade value would have been to them had they acquired him either in this deal or in a separate deal, and obviously didn’t like what they saw,” Lowe said.

At the end of the day, Hayward ended up leaving the team for free. He opted out of the last year of his contract and signed a massive 4-year, $120 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, leaving Ainge and the Celtics pretty much empty-handed.

It’s clear now that Hayward isn’t thinking about the money. He wants a chance to redeem himself after struggling so badly after his gruesome injury and wants to join a team that values him as a long-term asset and that actually puts the ball in his hands.

This year’s cap situation is complicated for most teams. There won’t be that much money available like in other years, so perhaps Hayward’s options are slightly more limited. Here, we’re going to let you know the 3 most realistic destinations for him.

3. Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns recently acquired Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder and it’s pretty clear that they’ve finally entered win-now mode. They don’t have much cap space but still have plenty of movable assets that could help Hayward make his way to the desert.

The Suns want to keep Devin Booker there for many more years, and a starting five of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and Deandre Ayton could certainly make some noise in the Western Conference.

2. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have made some interesting moves over the past couple of days. They had a solid draft and cleared a lot of cap space to make a run at a star that could finally get them over the hump.

That might as well be Gordon Hayward, as they’ll have enough money to sign him to a multi-year deal. Obviously, the Knicks wouldn’t give him the biggest shot at contention but he could salvage his legacy in a big market and earn a lot of money for the next 3 or 4 years.

1. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have been quite aggressive since the end of the trade moratorium. They’re trying to give Trae Young the help they promised and are now in the pole position to sign a couple of free agents after clearing a lot of cap space.

The Hawks have a young and promising team that just needs a couple of veterans to make a playoff push. Hayward could give them that experience and scoring punch at the small forward position and help them become a dark horse in the Eastern Conference.

Multiple trade rumors have gone back and forth over the past couple of weeks, with stars like Devin Booker and Gordon Hayward stealing most of the headlines for their alleged desire to find a new home.

And, while neither of those players has publicly stated that they actually want to be traded, the context and some insiders have pointed them out as two of the most likely candidates to be moved before the start of the 2021 campaign.

Devin Booker Reportedly Wants Out Of Phoenix

And, according to Ryen Russillo of The Ringer, it’s the “worst kept secret in the NBA” that Devin Booker already wants out of the Phoenix Suns two years after signing that $158 million contract extension.

Booker is one of the best scorers in the league and is still quite young, and teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, among multiple others would be delighted to have him under contract and have enough Draft assets and spare parts to pull off a deal for him.

Gordon Hayward Looking To Move On From The Celtics

Moreover, Russillo added that he’s heard from sources inside of the Boston Celtics organization that Gordon Hayward also wants to be traded after struggling to be at his best since coming back from his gruesome injury.

The Celtics surely need Hayward’s defense and versatility but he’s nowhere near the player he was when they signed him, and having Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum hogging most touches and minutes in the wings isn’t doing much to help his case.

Then again, moving Hayward would be more complicated for the Celtics due to his contract, butthere has been some rumors claiming that they could try and pull off a deal to send him back to the Utah Jazz along with multiple assets to land Rudy Gobert in return.

Her wife wanted to introduce the young Gordon Theodore Hayward to the world and while there were countless positive reactions – even Danny Ainge called him a 2040 first-round pick – there were others that… not so much.

Thing is, people on social media didn’t care for the fact that Robyn rolled the baby to take a full picture of his baby-size Boston Celtics apparel that read ‘Baby G’ on his back, deeming that it’s not safe.

That’s why both Twitter and Instagram were quickly flooded by people both criticizing and clowning the Haywards in yet another example of why famous people should keep their affairs private because people just don’t know how to mind their own business.

Twitter Users Destroy Gordon Hayward’s Wife Over Baby Pictures

C’mon guys, it’s just a quick picture, that’s it, there’s no need to be so rude on her. Robyn just wanted to show the rest of the world how proud she is for the birth of her son and how they’re still rooting for Gordon Hayward and his Boston Celtics in the distance.

The Boston Celtics are going to need as much support as they can get right now, as they have their backs against the wall after dropping Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Miami Heat.

Gordon Hayward has given them a much-needed boost off the bench over the past couple of games but he’s still far from the star they signed in free agency several seasons ago after suffering that career-threatening injury.