You're probably aware that $120 million over four years is a bit too much to pay a 30-year-old forward who missed more than 100 games in the last three seasons.
But if you're still not convinced the Charlotte Hornets overpaid for Gordon Hayward, we'd like you to consider this stat:
Only three players in NBA history have signed multiple contracts worth at least $30 million per year. One is Hayward. The other two are ... Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
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The Boston Celtics handed Hayward his first bag in 2017, signing the then-27-year-old to a four-year deal worth $128 million ($32 million per year).
To say he didn't earn that paycheck would be an understatement: Hayward missed his entire first season in Boston due to a gruesome ankle injury, logged his worst campaign since his rookie year in 2018-19 while recovering from that injury and missed 20 more games last season.
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But the Hornets apparently still believe Hayward is a top-20 player in today's NBA -- or at least they're paying him like one.
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As for James and Durant? They've won a combined three championships since 2016 on their respective $30-plus-million deals while maintaining their statuses as two of the best players on the planet.
This certainly isn't an indictment on Hayward, who(se agent) deserves praise for landing another lucrative after three snake-bitten seasons in Boston.
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Michael Jordan have some explaining to do, though.
