Gordon Hayward signs four-year, $120m deal with Charlotte Hornets; 30-year-old turned down $34.2m player option to return to Boston Celtics this week; Hornets beat several sides to Hayward's signature
Saturday 21 November 2020 19:25, UK
Gordon Hayward has agreed a four-year, $120m (£90.3m) deal to join the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN.
The monster deal punctuates a busy week for Charlotte, who drafted point guard LaMelo Ball at No 3 overall earlier in the week.
The Athletic reported that Hayward's deal is fully guaranteed.
Charlotte are coming off a 23-42 campaign and have missed the playoffs for four straight seasons.
Hayward enjoyed a bounce-back season last year, in which he averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 52 games (all starts) with the Boston Celtics.
He has averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists across his 10-year career, which included seven seasons with the Utah Jazz and the last three seasons with the Celtics.
In Hayward's first game with Boston, he sustained a gruesome leg injury that cost him the rest of the season. He averaged 11.5 points in a mostly reserve role upon his return in 2018-19 before returning to the starting lineup last season.
Several teams, including Hayward's home state Indiana Pacers, were interested in adding him before Charlotte sealed the deal.
