4 Just-traded players Bulls should've snagged themselves
By Will Eudy
Gordon Hayward
Speaking of the Bulls' need for reserve forwards and three-and-D archetype players, Gordon Hayward represents another missed opportunity. The Charlotte Hornets were reportedly ready to move on from him, so there should have been an urgency from the front office to try and get something done for the former All-Star.
One of Gordon's biggest problems over the last several years has been injury luck. He played in just 54% of his possible games in three and a half seasons with the Hornets. With that in mind, it would be understandable if there was some skepticism from Chicago's management and that is why the team was not reportedly pursuing him.
But when he is healthy and ready to go, Hayward is still nearly as productive as he was at the height of his powers. Just this season, he has logged eight 20-point games and he is averaging 14.5 points for the season. He has not played in over a month due to a calf strain, but it is clear that he can still provide the kind of scoring punch that the Bulls are looking for off the bench.
If anything, Hayward's injury troubles probably made him less desirable on the trade market, which makes it even more inexcusable that the Bulls did not do anything to try to acquire him.