Hornets Insider: Using trade tiers to break down who could be moved before deadline
.JPG "(L-R) Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin, center Mason Plumlee, guard Terry Rozier, forward Kelly Oubre Jr., center Mark Williams and forward Jalen McDaniels sit on the team’s bench in the closing moments of second half action against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. The Grizzlies defeated the Hornets 131-107.")
The text came in after the injury, wondering what the Charlotte Hornets should do before the clock strikes on the NBA trade deadline.
With less than two weeks remaining, it’s rapidly approaching and 3 p.m. on Feb. 9 will be here in the blink of an eye. Given the season-long struggles that have kept the Hornets among the league’s worst teams in the league, it’s natural to ponder what could be on the horizon for the franchise.
Activity may be a necessity.
“The roster confuses me to be honest,” the message read from a senior front office executive with a Western Conference team.
Instead, the Hornets should “try to build around those young guys” like star point guard LaMelo Ball and improving fourth-year forward Jalen McDaniels, the official wrote. And that’s one of the decisions the Hornets and genral manager Mitch Kupchak have to make over the coming days.
While essentially no one other than Ball is untouchable, there are a few who might make more sense for the Hornets to move than others. Here are some trade tiers looking at potential candidates who could be sent elsewhere before the deadline strikes:
Tier I: Definite possibilities
Mason Plumlee: Without a doubt, outside of Ball of course, he’s the Hornets’ top commodity at the moment. And who would have thought those words would be written even dating back to last summer before his $8.5 million salary for 2022-23 became fully guaranteed?
But here they are and Plumlee has turned into a pretty good chip.
Plumlee is having arguably his best season and has posted at least 15 points in six consecutive games leading into Sunday’s game with Miami, easily a career-long. He’s recorded 19 double-doubles this season, which ties for the most in a single season in his career. He’s also one of only four players to post at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and shoot 100% this season.
And get this: Over his past 20 games, he’s connected on 76.5 percent of his attempts, which is the best percentage by any player in any 20-game span since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, according to Stathead.
So, there’s little question he can be a viable pickup for a team with serious playoff aspirations and would fit in nicely in some locales. Such as his old stomping grounds in Denver to come off the bench behind reigning MVP Nikola Jokić.
It also makes sense to move the veteran because the Hornets need to figure out what they’ve got in Mark Williams and Nick Richards. Clifford has shuffled Williams and Richards lately, sticking mostly with the rookie over Richards. Continued development is important for both and with the Hornets’ season lost, they are already at the point where they have to start thinking about the future.
Is Plumlee a part of it? If not, getting an asset for him while he’s hot could be their best move.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: As a versatile swingman who loves to shoot, many teams could certainly benefit from adding a player like the 27-year-old. He’s proven he can be effective as a starter and also come off the bench in a sixth-man-type role.
The 20.2 points per game he’s averaging are easily a career best, way up from the 12.9 he put up in his first seven seasons. He was on a serious roll until he tore a ligament on his left hand that required surgery earlier this month, keeping him out potentially until after the All-Star break in February.
Oubre is slowly working himself back and is doing some cardio work and utilizing his right hand in pregame drills. But he’s not there yet, and his hand injury might complicate things slightly if a team wanted to bring him on board.
He’s spoken fondly of Charlotte and genuinely seems to enjoy playing in the Carolinas because it’s where his grandmother grew up. Being in the final year of an economical two-year, $24.6 million contract makes him attractive to others knowing his salary melts off their cap in the summer when he’d become an unrestricted free agent.
Tier II: Not out of the question
PJ Washington: The fourth-year big man is in the final year of his rookie contract and the two sides weren’t able to reach an agreement on an extension prior to the deadline in October. So, that means Washington is bound for restricted free agency in July and that doesn’t bother his representatives one bit.
Washington’s agent Kevin Bradbury told The Charlotte Observer in October that his client isn’t afraid to bet on himself and test the market when the time comes. But the Hornets would be able to match any offer he receives, making it moot to ship him elsewhere unless he can bring back something of value that would be more cost-effective and prudent in the front office’s mind depending on what the price may be to re-sign the 24-year-old and keep him part of the franchise’s young core.
Jalen McDaniels: Despite rumors about his services being coveted elsewhere, the Hornets are not actively shopping the lanky forward. Unless he can fetch a solid asset, giving him away doesn’t make sense.
They view the 24-year-old as a versatile piece and a relatively inexpensive one at that given he was a second-round pick. He’s earning $1.9 million this season, which represents a slim 1.37% of the Hornets’ salary cap, according to Spotrac, and will be an unrestricted free agent this season.
He also loves the organization and almost feels indebted to them after they brought him on board. So, it’s not like he’ll be looking to leave this summer. In fact, it would likely be the exact opposite unless he commands an exorbitant amount of money on the open market that doesn’t somehow fit into the Hornets’ long-term financial structure.
James Bouknight: After showing small signs of progress in his rookie season and getting a new start of sorts with Steve Clifford at the helm, there was an opportunity for the 22-year-old to take a step forward.
He hasn’t.
While it’s too strong to suggest he’s regressed, he didn’t take advantage of his chance when the Hornets’ backcourt was hit hard by injuries earlier in the season in part because of his choices off the court. Getting arrested for DWI in October just days before the regular-season opener in San Antonio certainly didn’t help his cause, but his last meaningful action came more than two months ago when he logged 24 minutes in a Nov. 28 loss in Boston.
So, here’s the problem at the moment: getting “equal” value for the second-year guard would probably be difficult because he’s decreased his worth on the market. Fetching an asset back in return that can help the Hornets and makes sense from their perspective, he would likely have to be included as part of a multi-player package.
Tier III: Longest of shots
Gordon Hayward: The soon to be 33-year-old is essentially untradeable for several reasons, with the first stemming from his lack of consistent availability in his two and a half seasons in Charlotte.
Since his arrival in 2020, Hayward has missed 42.6% of their games. That’s 87 of 204 outings.
With Hayward earning $31 million next season in the final year of his four-year, $120 million deal, it doesn’t take a genius to know that no general manager is going to be willing to put their neck on the line at this point to acquire a player who has yet to complete a full 82-game season in his career.
Terry Rozier: He’s in the first year of a contract extension signed two summers ago and has three years and roughly $74.4 million remaining. Unless a team has a serious void at point guard that extends beyond this season, it’s hard to see a robust market for him at this point.
