‘Best trade today.’ Fans impressed by Charlotte Hornets trading for Montrezl Harrell
The trade deadline has arrived, and Charlotte Hornets fans across the Twittersphere have opinions.
The Hornets traded for Montrezl Harrell from the Wizards, The Observer confirmed on Thursday shortly before the deadline of 3 p.m., and in exchange sent Ish Smith and Vernon Carey Jr. to Washington.
Most appeared to like the move. A few weren’t immediately thrilled. And some were lukewarm about Harrell’s homecoming — but were happy the Hornets “at least made a move.”
All of these feelings are probably justified.
The Hornets, thanks to a roster dotted with youth and flare and 3-point shooting, have shown flashes of greatness in the 2021-22 season. They started the season 5-2, then saw themselves at 10-7, then 28-22 in late January — at that point in decent position for an Eastern Conference playoff bid come April.
Since then, though, they’ve slid. Charlotte entered Thursday having lost six in a row and on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference playoffs. (The Hornets are now 28-28, ninth-best in the East, which means they’d have a berth in the NBA’s play-in format if the season ended today.)
The Observer’s Hornets beat reporter Rod Boone laid out a few candidates the Hornets could consider targeting to infuse energy and direction into the at-the-moment rudderless team. Among those guys included Harrell, as well as Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers, Richaun Holmes from the Sacramento Kings, Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trailblazers and more.
Here are a few more reactions from Thursday afternoon’s news.
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