Thunder’s loss to Mavericks has Sam Presti getting roasted for Gordon Hayward trade

Sam Presti’s Gordan Hayward trade did not work out for the Thunder

In concept, the Thunder trading for Hayward did make a bit of sense. Oklahoma City is a young team, so adding another veteran wing who can play on both sides of the ball made a lot of sense. The problem was that Hayward simply never found his fit with the team, making it a move that was very tough to justify.

A quick glance at OKC’s roster, and it was clear that they needed more help at the center position, rather than another wing to join their already crowded group on the bench. Sure enough, the Thunder’s interior presence on both sides of the ball wasn’t all that great in the postseason, making it clear that Presti and company not only made a bad move for Hayward, but they also missed a glaring weakness on their roster.

Hayward is set for free agency, and he almost certainly won’t be returning to Oklahoma City after his disastrous stint with the team. Hayward still has value as a bench wing, but the Thunder simply have no need for him as we just saw in their postseason run. They need to shore up their center position and find someone who can come in and truly solidify the team’s starting lineup in a way that Hayward was unable to.

The good news is that the Thunder have a lot of assets at their disposal in order to improve their roster, but after a few years of conservatively building up his team, it’s time for Presti to start cashing in on all his hard work and make some big moves. Hayward didn’t pan out, but the Thunder’s future is still very bright, and if he makes the right deals this time around, they will have a great shot of winning a title next year.