Thunder trade Vaden, picks for Lazar Hayward

[Clangus]

What are your thoughts on this?


The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired a 2012 second round pick, a future conditional second round selection and guard Robert Vaden from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward Lazar Hayward. Following the trade, the Wolves waived Vaden.

Hayward spent one season with the Timberwolves, averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 42 games over his rookie season. Minnesota originally acquired the rights to Hayward, the 30th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, from the Washington Wizards in a draft-day trade on June 24, 2010.

[Tydude]

i am ok with the deal not to happy about it but i am glad that we got a back up to KD and hopefully he is good

[PublicEnemy]

Wow....Why not package Nate and save a pick?

[HotRocNRol]

Wow....Why not package Nate and save a pick?

Nate's salary is in the neighborhood of $4M...don't think that would've worked when AwesomeSam is wheelin' & dealin'. Plus I think the picks are second rounders.

[Laramie]

Lazar Hayward @ forward should be equivalent to Nazi Mohammed @ center; the Thunder will bring out the best in this guy. This guys versatility allows him to play the small or power forward, great pick!

[TheresThatManAgain#0]

I'm not too worried about what we gave up to get this guy, but does anyone really know who he is? Ive heard his name once or twice but if you had asked me yesterday what position he played, I would have had no clue. So I guess what I'm asking is, will he get a roster spot to back up KD or is he gonna spend some time in the Dleague?

[RicanThunder]

Another low risk, high reward trade for Presti. I don't know about you, but in this video he kind of looks like a poor man's Jeff Green. If anything, we traded him for Robert Vaden. Whooo? Yeah, that guy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vVRA311sSo

[PublicEnemy]

his Draft Xpress profile

After a solid junior campaign, playing alongside the likes of Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, and Wesley Matthews, Lazar Hayward emerged from their collective shadow as Marquette’s top option this season. Playing out of position (at the 4 or even sometimes the 5) in the Golden Eagles’ extremely undersized lineup, Hayward showed the competitiveness and toughness that coaches love, but remains notably limited in certain areas.

Possessing solid size and strength for a small forward –the position he’ll need to play on the NBA level—Hayward is a physical wing who had success in the NCAA thanks his aggressiveness and role-player skills, not his athleticism. Not terribly quick, looking a little stiff in the open floor for a wing, and not displaying much in the way of explosive leaping ability, Hayward is a limited athlete by NBA standards –a reality that will constantly force him to prove himself against his more athletic peers.

Though his athletic profile unquestionably limits his upside from an NBA perspective, it is hard not to like the way Hayward approaches the game on both ends. Hard-nosed, confident, and unwavering, Hayward has been a consummate team player at Marquette from the moment he stepped on campus. Though he received more touches this season, and subsequently wasn’t as efficient as he’s been in the past, the composition of Hayward’s offensive game has been consistent for most of his career.

Nearly half of Hayward’s offensive is composed of jump shots according to Synergy Sports Technology, and while he didn’t shoot the outstanding 45% from three that he did as a sophomore, Hayward remains a capable catch and shoot threat. Though he short arms his release on occasion, the senior does a nice job squaring up his body and knocking down his open looks. With roughly a third of his shots coming from behind the arc in each of his seasons at Marquette, Hayward’s ability to stretch the floor has always benefitted the guards playing around him.

While his 36.5% shooting in catch and shoot situations is a 4% drop from last season, much of that has to do with the quality of those shots rather than Hayward’s shooting itself. Last season, nearly 71% of such shots were categorized as unguarded, while only 38% have been categorized similarly this season. Clearly, Hayward’s efficiency as a shooter has a lot to do with his teammates, as he’s seldom creating his own shots. Only taking roughly 1 pull-up jump shot each game and knocking down only 22.9%, Hayward isn’t much of a midrange threat due to his inability to create space off the dribble and tendency to float through his release instead of jumping straight up and down off the dribble. Right now he projects as almost strictly a spot-up threat.

Aside from his merits as a jump shooter, Hayward also proves to more than capable of scoring in the post and around the basket. Though he lacks great leaping ability, the New York native does an excellent job using his body to attack the baseline off the dribble in face-up situations and to protect the ball when he elevates to score.

Hayward’s spot up shooting, face up game, and ability to play tough around the basket all speak to his ability to flourish as a role-player. Doing all of the little things, rebounding the ball at a high rate, and playing a fundamental brand of defense, Hayward thrives as a complementary option. Though he had a productive season as Marquette’s leading scorer, his reliance on his teammates for efficiency, lack of dynamic ball-handling and shot creating ability, and his role in half court sets are emblematic of his ideal fit at the next level.

Hayward’s dedication and ability on the defensive end are unquestionable, but his potential from an NBA perspective remains problematic. Using his body just as well defensively as he does offensively, Hayward does a very good job getting a hand in the face of shooters when closing out, fighting for position against much bigger players on the block, and holding his ground when his man tries to take him off the dribble.

Extremely sound fundamentally, obviously well-coached, and showing a knack for being in the right place at the right time, the biggest concern about Hayward’s defensive potential is his lack of lateral quickness. Spending most of his time defending fours and fives last season, Hayward’s ability to deny dribble penetration will be one of the key aspects of his game that teams judge in workouts.

With the Portsmouth Invitational only a few weeks away, Lazar Hayward is the type of player that would surely benefit from a good showing, especially if he can showcase his defensive ability against a collection of better athletes on the wing. A known commodity at this juncture, the holes in Hayward’s game may not guarantee him a spot on draft night, but he will at the very least have his suitors in the form of training camp invites and overseas offers.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz1gUSEAmdc
http://www.draftexpress.com

[slimjimzv]

This reminds me a bit of our Thabo aquisition. No one really knew who he was and, at the time, people were complaining that we gave up a first round pick for him. If this Lazar is able to even sniff the court as a backup to KD, then it's an improvement. Vaden and 2 2nd round picks weren't going to do much for the team anyway.

[PublicEnemy]

I been watching clips of the guy. He's pretty darn slow. Looks like he's moving in slow motion sometimes. Well.....he'll speed up after trying to catch KD all practice

[Brandon Rush]

I am calling him Lazer, pew pew pew

[ThunderObsessed]

I'm pretty sure he wont see much of the court. He was 14th on a depth chart in minny.

How he's gonna crack a 11 deep roster, it's going to be tough.

[ThunderObsessed]

little statistical break down on him. plus some tidbits.

http://thunderobsessed.com/2011/12/14/meet-lazar-hayward/

[REDL1NE]

Seems like he works hard. He will need to do so. I am not doubting Presti on any moves anymore. We'll see how it pans out.

[Jimmy Early]

Seems like he works hard. He will need to do so. I am not doubting Presti on any moves anymore. We'll see how it pans out.

Seems like he was drafted to push KD on defense in practice. If he does that well (teaching KD how to get open against rough defense), then the trade of Vaden and a 2nd round picks was a good one.

[REDL1NE]

Seems like he was drafted to push KD on defense in practice. If he does that well (teaching KD how to get open against rough defense), then the trade of Vaden and a 2nd round picks was a good one.

I agree 100%

[Avon]

Lazar Hayward @ forward should be equivalent to Nazi Mohammed @ center; the Thunder will bring out the best in this guy. This guys versatility allows him to play the small or power forward, great pick!Mohammed is a legitimate rotation player on a playoff team. If Hayward plays significant minutes on this team, something will have gone horribly wrong.


Another low risk, high reward trade for Presti.I would say "low risk, low reward." Presti didn't really give up anything, but he's not getting much. Hayward plays hard and has a good attitude and work ethic, but his ceiling is low.


Seems like he was drafted to push KD on defense in practice. If he does that well (teaching KD how to get open against rough defense), then the trade of Vaden and a 2nd round picks was a good one.This is the most logical explanation IMO.

[chuck]

Hearing that Lazar Haywood had a 7 ft wingspan, and knowing a few others had long wingspans also, I found that 8 current Thunder players have 7 ft wingspans: Reggie Jackson 7' 0, Lazar Haywood 7' 0.75", Cole
Aldrich 7' 4.75", Byron Mullins 7' 1.5", Serge Ibaka 7' 3", Kevin Durant 7' 4.75", Nick Collison 7' 1.5", Nick Collison 7' 1.5", and Kendrick Perkins 7' 6.5". http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?year=All&sort2=DESC&draft=&pos=&source=All&sort=5 I couldn't find any information for Nazr Mohammed, Royal Ivey or Thabo Sefolosha.

[cjthunder]

Couldn't help but notice this guy Vaden is back with the 66ers. It seems to be his destiny.

[chuck]

It is a short destiny. This is his last year to be eligible to be in D league.

[cjthunder]

It is a short destiny. This is his last year to be eligible to be in D league.

Really? Haven't there been some old time vets play in the D League, like Antoine Walker?

[KDisNotNice]

Really? Haven't there been some old time vets play in the D League, like Antoine Walker?

Yep, Antoine is playing for Idaho and doing quite well though I doubt he'll get another chance in the NBA. No NBA team owns Vaden's contract rights now so he could stay in the D-League as long as they want him to.

That's the key, does an NBA team own his rights and then there are limitations. Kareem, Magic, Dr. J., etc. could play in the D-League if they wanted to and a team desired to sign them.