Hornets chart course correction with trades, draft capital

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

LaMelo Ball is a core figure in the Charlotte Hornets' future, but a series of moves at the NBA trade deadline will shuffle the roster.

Mitch Kupchak said the Charlotte Hornets would be active throughout the NBA trade deadline.

He wasn’t lying.

With veteran staples Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington dealt to new teams, and rotational guards Ish Smith, James Bouknight and Frank Ntilikina waived, the Hornets have committed to a completely new direction.

Whether it’s a rebuild, reset, retool – or any other arbitrary term to say the team isn’t very good, but could be trending in the right direction – one thing is for sure: Charlotte’s future is Brandon Miller. The 6-foot-8 wing Charlotte selected second overall in last year’s draft is the key to Charlotte becoming relevant, but the core around him still has question marks.

Charlotte’s Big Three (Four?)

LaMelo Ball has proven he’s one of the most entertaining guards in the league when healthy, but staying on the court is a clear issue. He has played over 60 games in a season just once in his four-year career – when he was named an All-Star in 2022. He signed the most lucrative deal in Charlotte sports history in July, over five years and worth up to $260 million.

Charlotte’s man in the middle, Mark Williams, is on pace to play less than 50 games for the second consecutive season, nursing a lower back injury that has kept him sidelined since Dec. 8, 2023. After being shelved with a torn thumb ligament in his right hand, Williams posted eight double-doubles through 19 games in his second season. Yet again, he is unavailable with no clear timetable to return.

“[Williams] did see a specialist last week. It will take some time, but he does expect a 100% return to play,” Kupchak said Friday. “There’s nothing here that will impact his playing career. I think the next update is in four weeks.”

And then there’s Miles Bridges, who isn’t without his own off-court issues. Since returning from a 92-game suspension for domestic violence charges, Bridges has been Charlotte’s most consistent player. After setting career highs of 41 and 45 points in consecutive games, the sixth-year wing continued to express his interest in remaining in Charlotte, vetoing any trade the Hornets’ front office considered and committing to Steve Clifford through at least the rest of the season. Bridges’ $7.9 million qualifying offer expires this summer, and it’s clear both sides have work to do on a contract extension.

“I feel comfortable saying that Miles has been with us. We drafted him. He’s certainly having a great year and getting better and better as the season goes along,” Kupchak said. “I’m not sure what I can say about free agency, but I don’t see why we wouldn’t want him to be a part of this team for a long, long time.”

In Bridges’ last comment to the media before the trade deadline, he said: “If we would have had our full team, there’s no way we wouldn’t be in the playoffs. We have a great future ahead of us if we can just stay healthy.”

While Charlotte’s league-leading playoff drought will extend to an eighth year, the Hornets are staring down a second top-five pick in as many years, and the deadline decisions of new owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin make it clear the Hornets are focused on building around their young core.

“Rick and Gabe wanted to be aggressive,” Kupchak said. “They really pushed it and I think it was the right thing to do. [Team ownership] was very, very involved, and shockingly knowledgeable about the players. It was great. You could feel the energy and the passion they have to make this team better.”

Deadline drama

Charlotte was one of the most active teams ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, moving off three veterans, waiving a trio of rotational guards, building draft capital and exploring multiple trade options.
Here are the Hornets’ official transactions ahead of the deadline:

• Guard Terry Rozier was traded to Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a lottery-protected 2027 first-round pick, which would convey to an unprotected 2028 first-rounder if Miami doesn’t make the playoffs in the 2026-27 season.

• Small forward Gordon Hayward was traded to Oklahoma City for guards Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic; power forward Davis Bertans and second-round picks in 2024 and 2025.

• Power forward P.J. Washington and second-round picks in 2024 and 2028 were traded to Dallas for guard Seth Curry, power forward Grant Williams and a top-two protected 2027 first-round pick, meaning as long as Dallas does not pick in the top two of the 2027 draft, that pick is Charlotte’s. If Dallas does receive a top-two pick, Charlotte will have Dallas’ unprotected first-rounder in 2028.

• Guards Ish Smith, James Bouknight and Frank Ntilikina were waived.

Lowry is still a candidate for the buyout market, and Kupchak said: “I think there will be a resolution there in hopefully 24-48 hours. Yes, he is still a part of the team. I think you know he’s not in Charlotte right now.”

In summary, Charlotte added two protected 2027 first-round picks, a 2025 second-rounder, a young guard with upside in Mann, a 30-year-old rookie facilitator in Micic, a veteran sharpshooter in Curry (who will wear father Dell’s No. 30 jersey), two floor-spacing bigs in Bertans and Williams – with the latter being the most expensive, with three years and $40.8 remaining on his current deal. And by moving off of Hayward’s $31.5 million deal, and likely Lowry’s $29.7 million in the buy-out market, Charlotte will have cap space freedom in free agency this summer.

With Ball sidelined and Rozier out the door, along with the cuts of Smith and Ntilikina, Mann and Vasilije will likely see time at point guard as early as Saturday game against Memphis, which allows Cody Martin and Nick Smith Jr. to operate in their natural roles on the wing.

Williams is arguably the best defender on the roster now, and the new additions of Williams, Curry and Bertans bring Charlotte’s only playoff experience on the roster.

Looking to the future

Although the 2021 class was a complete wash, waiving both Kai Jones and Bouknight this season, Charlotte has landed on core pieces Ball (2020), Williams (2022), Miller (2023), and maybe Smith Jr. (2023). Charlotte is also positioned to land another top prospect in this year’s draft.

As for the remainder of the season, Charlotte has just 10 wins in 50 games and is 2.5 games ahead of Detroit for having the worst record in the league – meaning a 14% chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Charlotte is 11.5 games out of a play-in spot, and with 32 games left, a late-season surge is both unlikely and unattractive.

After being lucky in last season’s lottery, jumping two picks and landing Miller at No. 2, Charlotte is positioned to add another Top 5 pick to the roster this June – if luck is in their favor. Everyone remembers when the Bobcats missed out on Anthony Davis in the lottery, selecting eventual-bust Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ahead of Bradley Beal at No. 2.

But scouts aren’t as high on the 2024 draft class.

“It’s a bad class. No sure-fire guy and not a lot of depth,” said a league source.

“The best player right now is probably Zaccharie Risacher. The most upside would be Alex Sarr. The top three picks could all be international,” said another.
As currently constructed, here is the ideal rotation for the Hornets to start the 2024-25 season.

Starting five:

PG: LaMelo Ball

SG: Brandon Miller

SF: Miles Bridges

PF: Top-5 pick (ideally Sarr, 7-foot-1 PF/C) or free agent

C: Mark Williams

Bench:

PG: Tre Mann/Vasilije Micic

SG: Seth Curry/Nick Smith Jr./Bryce McGowens

SF: Cody Martin/Leaky Black

PF: Grant Williams/Davis Bertans

C: Nick Richards/Nathan Mensah

Charlotte is positioned to build through the draft in the future or parlay draft capital to bring in a new superstar(s).

 

Comments