Gordon Hayward Injury Update: When will Thunder's veteran acquisition make his franchise debut?

The OKC Thunder strengthened their roster by acquiring Gordon Hayward during the NBA trade deadline. The Charlotte Hornets moved on him on Thursday in exchange for Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic and two future second-round picks.

The 33-year-old veteran is an exciting addition to the team as a wing player off the bench who can also start and close for the Thunder. The only drawback to his acquisition may be his health, which has contributed to his missing many games for several years.

Hayward has been out of action due to a calf injury. OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault commented on when Hayward can start playing the Thunder.

“He’s feeling pretty good. He’s not going to play until after All-Star break. We need to take him through kinda our return-to-play protocol as if he were here all along,” Daigneault said. “We caught up with him this morning, got a feel for that. We don’t really have practice time to go through what he needs to go through to clear our internal hurdles to play.”

Hayward could likely be back in action soon after the All-Star break. If he returns by the first game following the break, he’ll have a chance to suit up for 28 outings in the regular season for the OKC Thunder if he stays healthy. The Thunder hope to have him up and healthy soon to bolster the team's performance for the playoffs.

What happened to Gordon Hayward?

Gordon Hayward is suffering from a calf injury he sustained during the Hornets' matchup against the LA Clippers on Dec. 26.

With around four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Hayward was subbed out after fouling Amir Coffey. He was having a good showing with eight points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal in 25 minutes of action. He was later ruled out for the rest of the contest due to a strained left calf.

Gordon Hayward's stats with the Charlotte Hornets

Gordon Hayward played 25 games with the Charlotte Hornets this season before being injured. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in those outings. He shot 48.6% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc.

Overall, Hayward has averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his 168 games for the Hornets. He played for the Hornets for four years before being traded to the OKC Thunder.

Hayward's a versatile player on offense who can do almost anything. The veteran can score, shoot, handle and make plays, which will be a great addition to the bench for the young and explosive OKC Thunder roster.