When the Charlotte Hornets tip off their play-in tournament game later this week, they won’t have Gordon Hayward available.
The team announced Hayward is out indefinitely with continued discomfort in his left foot and it will be placed in a cast to immobilize it. He will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, meaning his season is over barring a lengthy playoff run for the Hornets.
Hayward returned for the Hornets’ loss in Philadelphia on April 2 following a 22-game absence and logged 16 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-6 shooting. But he said he was sore afterward and hasn’t played since, getting listed as either doubtful or out prior to each of their previous three games leading into Sunday’s season finale against Washington.
It’s a familiar scenario for Hayward, who was inked to a four-year, $120 million deal in 2020. He also missed the final 24 games of the season in his first year with the Hornets, sidelined due to a sprained right foot.
That puts Hayward at 93 games played of a possible 157 through his initial two seasons, so the Hornets have had his services at their true disposal in only 59.2 percent of their matchups. Hayward’s career was marred by injuries prior to his arrival in Charlotte and that hasn’t changed much.
In his tenure with the Hornets, he’s found himself on the injury report due to 10 different ailments. The first one came mere weeks after joining the team as a free agent when he fractured. He’s also experienced hip and back issues and was sidelined more than once due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Hayward has played more than 53 games in a season only once since 2017-18.
Despite not having their highest-paid player for the better part of the last two months, the Hornets still had themselves in position to climb up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference if things go their way with Sunday’s results.
