3 Trades Thunder wish they made instead of acquiring Gordon Hayward

When the OKC Thunder opted to strike on a trade for veteran forward Gordon Hayward at this year's deadline, it was viewed as a "no-brainer" transaction -- one that many believed would bring this young and title-hungry team much-needed playoff experience and added versatility to their frontcourt rotation.

Fast forward three months later, however, and we find that the aforementioned experiment has done nothing but underwhelm and, in turn, has now led to more questions than answers when it comes to the "what could have beens" of the exchange.

From taking on an undefined role within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation to seeing underwhelming production when found on the hardwood, the former All-Star, who was putting up solid numbers while with the Hornets earlier in the year (14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists), saw his productivity virtually vanish during his 26-game trial run in Loud City (5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists).

Trade targets Thunder should have pursued over Gordon Hayward

The acquisition has proven to be so disappointing that even team President Sam Presti has gone on record to take full blame for the trade, stating "I missed on that" during his recent exit interview.

As we all are aware, hindsight is 20/20. That said, with every poor decision made of turnout had, it's hard not to look back and wonder what might have been different had a few things been altered.

In this particular case, the Thunder are likely gazing back on their trade deadline decisions and kicking themselves for not pursuing a few players, in particular, over Hayward.