Philadelphia 76ers: 3 realistic Tobias Harris trade targets

2. Gordon Hayward

Gordon Hayward and Tobias Harris find themselves in very similar positions heading into the 2022-23 NBA season, but for two very different reasons.

Like Harris, Hayward is probably making more money than his play should justify, and his on-court fit with his current team has degraded thanks to the addition of a guard drafted in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, but he can still be a good player if everything works out well.

For Hayward, that means staying healthy.

Since the notorious first game of the 2017-18 season, where Hayward suffered a gruesome leg injury five minutes into the contest, the most regular season games in a single season he’s played has been 72, with the Butler product averaging just 46.5 regular season games per season over his first two seasons in Charlotte. While he’s been good when on the court, averaging 17.6 points, 3.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game as a Hornet, Charlotte may be willing to swap his contract out for a player like Harris, who is more dynamic as a scorer and a better rebounder, especially if Miles Bridges leaves in free agency.

Unless the Hornets believe P.J. Washington is ready for a seriously elevated role – and they don’t trade him too – a Harris-for-Hayward swap might just be the easiest deal to get done on this list.