The last time the Charlotte Hornets were a playoff team in the NBA was in 2016, but this year’s team is looking to start a new era for a franchise that has not seen much success over the years.
The Hornets are currently 26-22, good for the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference at the moment, and the future is looking very bright for this group. Along with having key veterans like Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and Mason Plumlee, the Hornets also have a plethora of young, dynamic talents in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Cody Martin and so many others.
This fiery and athletic group in Charlotte has had a great first-half of the 2021-22 season and one of the most impressive things about them is that they are one of the league’s best offensive teams. Ranking fifth in the league in offensive rating and second in scoring, the Hornets are definitely a tough team to play night-in and night-out.
However, defense has been a problem for the Hornets this season, as they are giving up 114.4 points per game to their opponents, the third-worst mark in the league right now. Out of all of the teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record, the Hornets are the only team with a negative average point differential on the season and a large part of their lack of success defensively is because of their frontcourt.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Charlotte Hornets Could Trade PJ Washington At Deadline?
LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward have all been great in the backcourt and on the perimeter, but Charlotte is very weak on the interior.
Mason Plumlee and P.J. Washington have not been bad at all, but in order for this team to actually be competitive in the Eastern Conference given all the other talented teams, they will need to upgrade their big man depth.
Rockets’ Christian Wood and Pacers’ Myles Turner have long been potential trade targets for the Hornets this season, but Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes is definitely a name to keep close tabs on leading up to the trade deadline.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Charlotte Hornets Could Trade PJ Washington At Deadline?
There was interest from Charlotte in signing Holmes when he was a free agent this past offseason and while he did re-sign with the Kings on a four-year, $46.5M deal, his role with Sacramento this season has been lessened compared to last season.
With the Kings hopes of ending their 15-year playoff drought slipping away quickly this season, they could very well look to trade current assets for more future assets at the trade deadline.
Should the Hornets go after Richaun Holmes to upgrade their frontcourt talent? Let’s take a look at a trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz that sends Holmes and another intriguing big man to Charlotte.
