Report: Hornets shopping Hayward, 1st-round pick

Gordon Hayward is among the names the Charlotte Hornets are shopping with one of their two first-round picks in this year's draft, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports.

The one-time All-Star is set to make a team-high $30.1 million next season, and the Hornets offloading the remaining two years on his contract would clear cap space to re-sign Miles Bridges, adds Windhorst.

Charlotte acquired Hayward two years ago in a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics. The Butler product has averaged 17.6 points, 5.2 boards, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc during his Hornets tenure. However, various injuries have limited him to just 93 appearances for the club.

Meanwhile, Bridges is coming off a breakout 2021-22 campaign. He registered career bests in points (20.2 per game), rebounds (7.0), and assists (3.8) en route to a seventh-place finish in last season's Most Improved Player award voting.

Charlotte owns the 13th and 15th selections in Thursday's draft.