Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte has not been to the playoffs since 2016 and while acquiring Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball definitely helps their chances of making it back to the postseason in the Eastern Conference, they still seem like they are one piece away. They do not have much depth nor production in their frontcourt, which is exactly why a guy like Al Horford could be the difference maker for this team this season.
He knows what it takes to win in this league and has been a part of some pretty successful teams over the years. Now in his 14th season in the NBA, Al Horford has been to the playoffs every single year he has been in the league and his playoff experiences could be extremely important to a young team like the Hornets.
Not to mention, P.J. Washington could use a guy like Horford by his side to help him develop into a better all-around talent in this league for years to come. Both Washington and Horford are capable of knocking down jump-shots and are both avid rebounders, making the two of them a solid duo in the frontcourt.
Plus, from Charlotte’s perspective, they would not be giving up much to get Horford. Malik Monk does not have that big of a role in Charlotte moving forward and while Zeller is a solid option in the frontcourt, he is in the final year of his contract and does not really have a future with this organization.
The only bad thing about this trade for the Hornets is that they would be taking on Al Horford’s big contract, putting them over the salary cap and making things tough on bringing in more talent for future years. The good thing though to negate not having cap space is that the Hornets have plenty of young talent that are going to continue improving, meaning that they will not have to go after big names on the free agent market as they will have their own.
Overall, this trade scenario makes a lot of sense for the Charlotte Hornets and if they want to look to add veteran role players to their roster for a small price, Al Horford is definitely the guy they should be taking a long look at.
