Rarely have the biggest free agents wanted to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. However, Gordon Hayward did in 2020 via sign-and-trade. As many are aware, that move didn't work well for the former star and the team. What only a few might know is that the deal he signed with the Hornets happens to be the third-biggest free agency deal for someone changing teams in the past six years.
Zach Kram of ESPN recently compiled a list of every NBA team's most notable roster mistake since 2020. The sports scribe identified the Hayward acquisition as the entry for the Hornets, pointing out that only two players signed for more money while transferring to a new home, namely Paul George when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers and Fred VanVleet when he joined the Houston Rockets.