CHARLOTTE, N. Marcos Diplan Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Hornets are going all out to sign restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. The Hornets have agreed on a maximum offer sheet with Hayward that would pay the small forward $63 million over the next four years, a person close to with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Utah Jazz would have three days to match the deal once Hayward officially signs. The person commented to the AP on condition of anonymity because Hayward cant officially sign the offer sheet until Thursday when the league lifts its moratorium on signing free agents. The Charlotte Observer was the first to report the news. Williams spent the last two seasons with Utah after six years with the Atlanta Hawks. He started 50 games last season for the Jazz and averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. The person also said the Hornets have spoken to representatives for free agents Marvin Williams and Brian Roberts and will meet with them later this week. Williams would give the Hornets another option at forward and Roberts would fill the backup point guard spot behind Kemba Walker. Its unclear at this point if the Jazz would match the offer to keep Hayward or consider a sign-and-trade with Charlotte. Hayward, who visited with the Hornets this week, averaged 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals last season for Utah. Hayward has spent all four seasons in the NBA with the Jazz. He shot 41.3 per cent from the field and 30 per cent from 3-point range in 77 starts. Haywards offensive production has increased with each season in the league, going from 5.4 points per game as a rookie to 11.8 in 2011 and 14.1 in 2012. If the Hornets are able to land Hayward, its unclear what that might mean for small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or shooting guard Gerald Henderson. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Hayward is capable of playing both positions. Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft, is considered a strong defender but trying to revamp a hitch in his jump shot. Henderson hasnt emerged as a dominant shooter as the team hoped when they signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract extension last year. The Hornets are high on small forward Jeff Taylor, their second-round pick in 2012, who is coming off a torn Achilles tendon. Hayward played his first three seasons in the league with centre Al Jefferson, who became the focal point of Charlottes offence last year and earned third-team All-NBA honours. After a slow start in free agency, the Hornets are picking up the pace. The 6-foot-9, 237-pound Williams, the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft, played at North Carolina where he helped the Tar Heels win a national championship as a freshman and could be a backup option if they dont land Hayward. Roberts has spent the past two seasons with New Orleans. He started 42 games last season averaging 9.4 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 94 per cent from the free-throw line. Minnesota Twins Gear . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Terry Steinbach Twins Jersey . "Youre next." Hardly. Iguodala tormented his former team with a game better than any he ever played in eight seasons with the 76ers. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1602t-jorge-polanco-jersey-twins.html . -- Dane Fox scored his 61st and 62nd goals of the season and Brendan Gaunce had a goal and three assists as the Erie Otters downed the Kitchener Rangers 7-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.NEW YORK -- Jacob deGrom took the mound with a disappointing record, but with the full backing of his manager. The rookie right-hander rewarded Terry Collins confidence with the strongest outing of his young career. DeGrom struck out 11 in seven shutout innings and also delivered a table-setting hit from the No. 8 spot in the batting order as the New York Mets tagged All-Star Julio Teheran and the Atlanta Braves 8-3 Tuesday night. "Showed you that he can certainly compete in this league," Collins praised. The shaggy-haired deGrom (2-5) pitched the Mets to their third win in a row, and the franchises 4,000th victory since starting out as an expansion team in 1962. Atlanta has lost three straight. The lanky 26-year-old scattered seven hits, walked none and matched a career best for strikeouts. "Feel I had my best start," deGrom said. "Controlling every pitch I needed to." DeGrom said he got most of his strikeouts on "elevated fastballs and sinkers," though he felt his most effective pitch was his curveball. "Knows what hes got to do to get a K when he needs it, and just goes out and does it," Collins said. The Mets set a team record at Citi Field with 18 hits. Curtis Granderson kept up his resurgence with a leadoff home run and Lucas Duda doubled twice, singled and drew two walks. Daniel Murphy also doubled twice and third baseman David Wright added two hits and made a nifty catch. DeGroms single led to a three-run burst in the second inning, and he exited as a 6-for-22 (.273) hitter in the majors, part of the reason Collins felt comfortable in tweaking his lineup. "Dont really care where I bat. More focused on the pitching," deGrom said. Said Collins: "Way too much made of the pitcher hitting eighth. Ill need to call La Russa and tell him he created a huge monster." Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa holds the record for most times batting his pitcher eighth in a season -- few other skippers have followed his lead since. Teheran (8-6) gave up a career-high 11 hits after shutting down the Mets in his previous outing, part of a Braves sweep last week. He lasted just 3 1-3 innnings, matching the shortest of his 53 starts in the majors. Marcos Diplan Twins Jersey. "One of those nights that everybody has and today was mine," he said. "I feel like everything I threw, they got a good swing." Teheran was picked Sunday for his first NL All-Star team, but the 23-year-old righty was very hittable from the get-go. Collins noted before the game that the ball was flying during batting practice -- Granderson proved him correct, lining Teherans second pitch off the facade of the second deck in right field. "Its just one of those starts," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The young man, hes bound to have a bad one every now and then. If you go out there 35 times, youre going to have a bad one, and today was one of his bad ones." Granderson, rebounding nicely from a slow start, hit his fourth home run in seven games. On Monday night, his tying homer in the eighth inning sent the Mets to an 11-inning win over Atlanta. The shot also gave the Mets a home run in eight straight games at Citi Field, matching a team record for the stadium that opened in 2009. The Mets led 5-0 in the third. Atlanta put runners at the corners with two outs in the sixth, but Wright made a diving, backhanded catch on Jason Heywards liner to end the inning. Three Mets relievers closed out the win. They did it while winds whipped debris all over the field as a storm blew into the ballpark. Freddie Freeman hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth. NOTES: Granderson hit his third leadoff homer of the year and 27th of his career. Mets RHP Dillon Gee (strained right lat) comes off the disabled list to start Wednesday night against RHP Ervin Santana. ... Teheran is set to start Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, meaning he wont pitch in the All-Star game Tuesday at Minnesota. ... Andrelton Simmons went hitless for Atlanta. He had six straight multihit games coming in. ... This was the sixth time -- all in the last month -- that Collins has batted his pitcher eighth. DeGrom was the first pitcher to get a hit in that slot. Collins hit Eric Young Jr. in the ninth spot, saying it created a double leadoff position. ' ' '