Why this trade makes sense for the Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are currently one of the eight teams in the Eastern Conference with 20+ wins and they look like a really solid playoff team this year. Terry Rozier has been fantastic this year and is currently second on the team in scoring, but the Hornets really need to fix their frontcourt and their overall depth if they are to make a run in the postseason. 

Of course, they could look to do so without dealing Rozier, but Lauri Markkanen is a very valuable player that they could potentially add in this trade with Chicago. The young 7-footer is more than capable of being one of the most productive players in Charlotte and could slowly take over the role of the starting center position from Cody Zeller, making the Hornets a much better offensive team and more versatile. 

While he is not a traditional center, Lauri Markkanen could transition into that kind of a role, much like Kristaps Porzingis has with the Mavericks. Markkanen could still be a perimeter threat and does not need to be a traditional, back-to-the-basket type of big man for the Hornets, which would allow them to put more offensive firepower and shooting threats on the court. 

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Denzel Valentine is also an underrated player who could make a big impact in Charlotte. He is currently averaging 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and is shooting 34.4% from three-point range. With not much depth on the wing outside of Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges, the Hornets could really benefit from adding Valentine to their rotations. 

It seems likely that the Hornets will hold off on dealing Terry Rozier, especially since he is putting together a career year, but there is a ton of value to be had in this trade for them. Trading Rozier to the Bulls is definitely something Charlotte should consider doing seeing as the Bulls have plenty of draft assets and young players to potentially deal.