Charlotte Hornets

This offseason has not gone according to plan for the Charlotte Hornets. They fired head coach James Borrego and pegged Kenny Atkinson as his replacement. However, a few days later, Atkinson backed out of the deal, which led to them hiring Steve Clifford, whom they fired in 2018.

Their roster could now have a huge void as well depending on how things shake out with Miles Bridges. Set to potentially earn a max contract in free agency, Bridges was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. That has clouded his future in the NBA, as the Charlotte Hornets could be without their leading scorer.

Replacing Bridges in free agency was feasible as the Hornets didn’t have cap space to spend. They will have to go the trade route to figure something out and Julius Randle presents an interesting target for them.

Randle has shown that he can be the offensive hub for a team. There are some speed bumps, but he at least has one full season of excellent production. Luckily for the Charlotte Hornets, he wouldn’t have to shoulder that much responsibility as they have a star at the point guard position in LaMelo Ball.

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Needing to replace the 20+ points per game that Bridges provided is something Randle is capable of handling. Having a playmaker of that level is something Randle has never had the benefit of playing alongside. His production could skyrocket with the easy baskets that Ball could produce for him.

Randle is also a tenacious rebounder, something the Charlotte Hornets could use more of. They were 21st in defensive rebounds per game and 21st in total rebounds per 100 possessions. That is a big factor in them turning things around on defense, as they need to secure the rebound to end the possession.