Charlotte Hornets
The 2022 offseason has been a tough one for the Charlotte Hornets, as nothing has gone according to plan. Despite winning 43 games last season, a 10-game increase from the previous season, head coach James Borrego was fired.
The team announced that Kenny Atkinson was going to take over for him, but less than a week after the announcement, he backed out and returned to the Golden State Warriors bench. Steve Clifford was named head coach instead for a second stint with the team.
The roster also suffered a major blow with Miles Bridges’ career looking to be in jeopardy. Bridges set himself for a max contract offer this offseason with his breakout 2021-22 performance. Unfortunately, he made some mistakes this offseason and was charged with felony domestic violence and child abuse.
The Charlotte Hornets could certainly use some good news, as replacing him will prove difficult. Notoriously difficult to recruit free agents, they need to go all-in on acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Charlotte Hornets & Utah Jazz Updates
There isn’t a player on the roster right now that will replicate the scoring that Bridges provided. Mitchell can fill that void and take things to another level as a multi-time All-Star. Pairing him with LaMelo Ball would give the Hornets a backcourt to be the foundation of the franchise.
Those two alone would make Charlotte a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. A competitive package can be built with recent first-round picks such as James Bouknight and Kai Jones and the expiring contracts of Mason Plumlee and Kelly Oubre Jr. P.J. Washington is another intriguing trade piece.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Charlotte Hornets & Utah Jazz Updates
Three-team deals that have been mentioned between the Jazz, Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers could have the Charlotte Hornets taking the place of New York with Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward being the veterans on the move instead of Evan Fournier or Julius Randle.
