Pros and cons of rumored Cavs trade with Hornets for Hayward

Rumored Cavs trade for Hayward: Cons for the Cavs

There are two minor drawbacks to such a move and two more significant ones. The first minor drawback is that Gordon Hayward makes slightly more than Kevin Love this season, as Love’s contract number falls to $28.9 million and Hayward’s is at $30.1; that is minuscule but matters if the Cavs re-sign Collin Sexton and bump up close to the luxury tax line.

Of more significance is the $31.5 million that Hayward is owed for the 2023-24 season. Adding Hayward would effectively mean that the Cavs cannot be a cap space team in the summer of 2023, which is a possibility right now for the team. It’s more likely they extend Darius Garland, re-sign Sexton and choose to stay over the cap, but with Love and LeVert coming off of the books in 2023 they could manage things in such a way as to go after a player in free agency; Hayward’s money would make that impossible.

Another tiny question is that of price; what do the Cavs have to send with Love to make the Hornets comfortable sending back Hayward? It’s significant that Love’s contract ends a year sooner and the Hornets are about to smash into their self-imposed salary ceiling with a new deal for Miles Bridges and pending contracts for their other young talent. Add in Hayward’s injury history (more on that in a moment) the assets required should be minimal. Would a second-round pick do the trick? Would they have to send a first?

Finally, the most significant issue is Hayward’s health. He played in just 93 of a potential 154 games the past two seasons with the Hornets, and of course had that gruesome leg injury just five minutes into his time with the Boston Celtics. The Cavs can’t count on Hayward playing a healthy season. This reality, however, is mitigated by the fact that Kevin Love has been far from a picture of health; last season’s 74 games was the first time he played more than 60 since 2015-16.