“While there are arguments to be made for Golden State getting younger and more athletic, those traits are seldom found in the bargain bin. What might still linger in the clearance section, though, is an overlooked veteran like Gordon Hayward,” Buckley wrote on July 18. “Yes, he has a frightening injury history behind him, and no, he’s nowhere near the player he was at his peak.

“Still, the veteran swingman offers a plug-and-play blend of awareness, instincts and the dribble-pass-shoot skill set required to have success in this system. He hasn’t topped 55 games since 2018-19, but he has generally played solid ball within this stretch. His averages over the past five seasons include 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, not to mention a tidy 47.5/38.5/82.3 shooting slash.”

Landing Hayward would be a risk from the Golden State Warriors side, as the now 34-year-old has dealt with multiple injuries in his career. Since the 2019-2020 season, Hayward hasn’t played in more than 52 games in a year.

However, when he’s been on the court, outside of his past stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he’s been an impressive player. Hayward is just two years removed from a season where he averaged 14.7 points and shot 47.5% from the field.

In the earlier stages of his career, he was scoring 19-plus points a game and even did so again in the 2020-21 season when he averaged 19.6 per game.