Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal
To paraphrase Jay-Z, the Charlotte Hornets have 99 problems, but a starting point guard ain’t one. LaMelo Ball is one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. The Hornets have their franchise player of the future.
Unfortunately, they don’t have much else going for them.
That holds especially true in light of Miles Bridges’ domestic assault charge. The Hornets will be losing their second-best player this offseason without a means to replace him. It’s difficult to see an immediate path to improvement for this team.
Perhaps treating 2022-23 as a gap year is their best course of action. If the Hornets are willing to accept that they won’t make meaningful progress towards a championship this year, their options open up. Suddenly, they can focus on a two or three-year window.
This deal helps them do so. In essence, they’re flipping Rozier for a promising rookie in Jovic and a first-round pick.
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That feels like a rebuilding measure, but with Ball on the roster, the Hornets don’t need to undergo a particularly arduous process. This trade improves the asset base they’ll need to land Ball a co-star within the next couple of seasons.
