Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Terry Rozier, BRK 2021 2nd Round Pick (Pick #57)
Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Montrezl Harrell (Player Option), F Kyle Kuzma, LAL 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #22)
Now why on Earth would the Charlotte Hornets trade one of their best players away to the Lakers of all teams in the league? Well, the Lakers have Montrezl Harrell, who the Charlotte Hornets have been high on over the last few years and even inquired about at this year’s NBA trade deadline!
Harrell signed with the Lakers last offseason in a very surprising move that forced him to go from the Clippers’ locker room in Staples Center to the Lakers’ locker room on the other side of the arena. His “betrayal” of the Clippers was well documented, but overall, Montrezl Harrell is a really solid big man.
He won the 2019-20 Sixth-Man of the Year award and while he did not play up to his full potential with the Lakers this season, he has still proven himself over the course of the year being a “bruiser” in the paint and someone who can create a ton of energy.
Charlotte really likes what he could possibly bring to the table for them as their starting center, which is why they could look to target him this offseason. The interesting thing about Harrell though is that he has a $9.7M player option for the 2021-22 season that he could potentially opt out of.
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This is going to be a big development to watch not only because the Hornets could target him in free agency if he opts out, but because he is one of the Lakers main trade assets in the offseason. Charlotte would also get Kyle Kuzma and the 22nd pick in this year’s draft, which brings more young talent to a team on the rise.
For Los Angeles, this trade is all about trying to win now and them looking to capitalize on their championship window with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis on their roster.
Injuries cut short their chances of winning back-to-back titles this year and with them advertising Kyle Kuzma as “available” this offseason, trading both he and Harrell is not that big of a loss in the grand scheme of things.
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Terry Rozier going to the Los Angeles Lakers is a very interesting scenario to think about and could work greatly in the Lakers favor. Is this a trade though that actually makes sense for not only the Lakers, but the Hornets as well?
