Does this trade make sense for the Charlotte Hornets?
The Charlotte Hornets do need a big man and adding Jarrett Allen as a young, promising center is definitely valuable to this organization, but giving up draft picks when they can sign him outright does not make much sense. The Hornets have virtually $30M in cap space to play around with this offseason, so they definitely have the capability to sign Allen to an offer-sheet that Cleveland will not match.
While they would likely have to compete with other teams also pursuing Allen in free agency, Charlotte has a strong chance to sign him outright because of the situation this franchise is currently in. They have a lot of young talents that Allen could fit in well next to and they are one of the teams on the rise in the league.
It is just a matter of time before the Hornets become a force in the Eastern Conference and they will be around for a long-time to come with LaMelo Ball being their leader. Adding Jarrett Allen to their core would be a fantastic move, especially given that he can affect the game on both ends of the court.
A frontcourt duo of him and P.J. Washington could not only be sustainable for years to come, but they could supply the Hornets backcourt with numerou second-chance opportunities each and every night given their abilities to rebound.
Whether it is Jarrett Allen, Richaun Holmes, Montrezl Harrell or someone else, the Charlotte Hornets will be targeting a big man this offseason. A sign-and-trade for Allen is definitely possible, but at the same time, the Hornets are not crunched on cap space and they can just sign him outright.
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The only advantage of a sign-and-trade for them is that they would not have to worry about other teams getting involved and possibly signing Jarrett Allen from under them. At the same time though, they would have to give up draft assets both now and in the future, which is why a sign-and-trade probably is not the best way for Charlotte to go about possibly adding Allen to their roster this offseason.
