Charlotte Hornets Receive: F Michael Porter Jr., F JaMychael Green
Denver Nuggets Receive: F Gordon Hayward, F/C PJ Washington
So, about everything we just said about the Charlotte Hornets clearing cap space…
This deal achieves none of it. In fact, it finds them adding Porter Jr.’s 5-year deal worth an average of $29.7 million per season. Have we officially lost the plot?
It depends. The Hornet could see this deal as having too high an upside to pass on. After making it, they’d be committing to a core of Bridges, Porter Jr., and Ball long-term. Any piece they added around that trio would have to come at a discount.
Realistically, so much about this trade rests on Porter Jr.’s health. There are reasons to believe it’ll hamper the rest of his career. If the Nuggets are ready to relieve themselves of that concern, and the Hornets are willing to risk salary space on the young man’s back, this deal becomes feasible.
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After all, the addition of Hayward and PJ Washington should make the Nuggets more dangerous in 2022-23 than an injured Porter Jr. If that’s this front offices’ calculus, this could look like a realistic scenario this summer.