Charlotte Hornets Receive: F/C Christian Wood
Houston Rockets Receive: F P.J. Washington, F/C Kai Jones, C Mason Plumlee, TOR 2022 2nd Round Pick (via CHA, Protected Top-54)
In order for Houston to think about trading Christian Wood at some point during the 2021-22 season, they are going to have to get an offer that includes a lot of value and the Charlotte Hornets can certainly offer that up. With a ton of versatile young players, as well as some key veterans on their roster, the Hornets could put together an offer including a handful of key assets like the trade proposal above.
This deal includes P.J. Washington, Mason Plumlee, and Kai Jones, but Plumlee and Jones can’t be traded before certain dates. Mason Plumlee was recently traded to the Hornets from the Pistons on draft night, meaning he cannot be traded again until after October 5th and Kai Jones recently signed his rookie contract, meaning he cannot be traded until after September 2nd.
Nonetheless, all three guys Charlotte would send to Houston are definitely impactful players that could make a difference. Starting with the rookie, Kai Jones is an extremely athletic big man with a lot of potential to be a strong rim protector in the NBA. In Summer League, he averaged 9.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and shot 40.0% from the floor in 5 games.
Plumlee could not only fit a similar role that Kelly Olynyk did for the Houston Rockets when he came over from the Heat at the trade deadline last year, but he is a really strong rebounder who is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 9.3 rebounds per game.
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As for P.J. Washington, he is only 23-years-old and is a big man that Houston should be highly interested in. Through his first two seasons in the league, Washington has averaged 12.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks and has shot 38.1% from three-point range, showing his versatility at the power forward position.
The Rockets have no immediate need or want to trade Christian Wood, but if they get a really good offer for him, then they could be interested in talking trade offers for him. Houston is rebuilding and the best thing a rebuilding team can do for themselves is looking to add more young and future talents, which is why this trade scenario with the Hornets is definitely intriguing.
