Does this trade make sense for the Charlotte Hornets?
Trading for Christian Wood gives the Hornets a dynamic and versatile big man coming off of a breakout season, but they may have to give up way too much value to acquire him. This trade alone may not be enough to get him, as Charlotte may n have to trade a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets as well to convince them to give up Wood.
Seeing as P.J. Washington is a young frontcourt player coming off his best season in the league, as well as the potential Kai Jones possesses moving forward to potentially be the Hornets “go-to” center in a year or two, there really is no reason for the Hornets to try and rush to get Christian Wood.
If they really do want him, they could potentially work out a trade near the NBA trade deadline, especially since the Rockets are not going anywhere anytime soon other than to the top of the draft board.
Even with the addition of Christian Wood, the Charlotte Hornets are nothing more than a first-round playoff team in the Eastern Conference right now, which is why they need to hold off on making any significant changes to their roster and continue focusing on developing their young players.
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LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Cody Martin, Jalen McDaniels, Vernon Carey Jr., Nick Richards, James Bouknight, Kai Jones, and JT Thor make up 10 of the Hornets’ 16 players under-contract entering training camp, making the Charlotte Hornets one of the youngest teams in the league. In time, this franchise has a chance to be something really special, which is why they should not try to speed up the process.
Winning is something that every team strives for and the Hornets should definitely look to make moves that help them win games, but getting Christian Wood does not make the Hornets that much better in terms of contending in the Eastern Conference. Wood is a great player, but he is not the All-Star-level player that changes their franchise drastically for the better.
