Indiana Pacers rumors: Gordon Hayward heads to Charlotte

Gordon Hayward will not be joining the Indiana Pacers.

According to ESPN, Gordon Hayward has agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets instead of the Indiana Pacers. The Hornets nearly signed Hayward back in 2014 before he returned to the Jazz. Now, Hayward stays on the Atlantic coast and eliminates the Pacers from getting a borderline All-Star.

The Hornets gave Gordon Hayward a handsome contract, locking him in for $120 million over four seasons. The Pacers would have had to move some players in return for Hayward while also committing a sizeable portion of their salary cap space for the future. While Hayward would have been a nice addition, his cost was well outside what Indiana wanted to pay and give up.

Justin Holiday re-signing with Indiana gives them wing depth to survive but they could still look to move Victor Oladipo or Myles Turner to bolster the position this offseason. Keep in mind, the NBA season is set to begin on Dec. 22, so any trade would need to come well before then if the Pacers want to have chemistry early on.

Free agency is still young and there are plenty of talented players available if the Pacers want to bring players on. With limited space, it is unlikely that Indiana will be able to do much without giving up quality role players.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the Pacers’ offseason acquisitions and expectations heading into the 2020-21 season.