Gordon Hayward isn’t happy with how his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder went, and general manager Sam Presti stands by him.
Speaking at his final press conference of the season on Tuesday following the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, Presti said he “missed” the deal Hayward landed earlier this season.
“I missed that. That’s up to me,” Presti said via ESPN. “But I’m learning, I’m trying to learn this team, I’m trying to learn the pace of the team a little bit. And I try to be a good observer of the team as it goes along, knowing that things will really change on their own.”
That’s a pretty blunt admission from a general manager, but it’s hard to dispute it.
The Thunder acquired Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Man, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and a pair of future draft picks in February. However, Hayward played in just 26 games for the Thunder, mostly off the bench. He averaged just 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in just over 17 minutes per game with the team.
He averaged just five minutes per game in their semifinal series against the Mavericks, and less than eight minutes per game in their first-round win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder, despite all their success as a team, never really found a good fit for Hayward.
After the season-ending loss, Hayward didn’t hold back. He said his time with the team was both ‘disappointing’ and ‘frustrating’.
“I feel like I have a lot to offer as a player,” Hayward said, via ESPN. “I just didn’t really get the chance to do that. I thought I would get that chance.”
Hayward’s wife, Robyn, was clearly not happy either.
Hayward will become a free agent later this summer. Based on how last season went, he will definitely be playing somewhere else next fall. Despite that problem, Presti still led the Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“I don’t think I read that one perfectly, and I’m learning from that in terms of getting someone mid-season and especially early in the process for our team,” Presti said.
