Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal 

Some have suggested that the Hornets themselves should tank. This team doesn’t have any serious title hopes in 2022-23, and moreover, Miles Bridges’ year-long suspension may have destroyed any hopes they had of even marginal improvement. 

We’d still go another route. If the Hornets tank only to land a star and lose another, it’s a lateral move. Yes, the Hornets would love Wembenyama, but with the flattened lottery odds, even the worst team in the NBA doesn’t have a great chance of landing him. 

Meanwhile, why tank a season and risk losing Ball only to land Henderson? The Hornets have their franchise player. The best thing they can do now is put the best group around him that they can. 

Adding Poeltl definitely contributes towards that goal. Moreover, the Hornets have a dire need for a starting big man. Yes, they drafted Duke center Mark Williams in this year’s draft, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be ready to start for a competitive team from day one. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs & Charlotte Hornets Updates

These days, you want to put your young star in a competitive situation as soon as you can. After all, these kids don’t stick around like they used to – they’ve realized that they don’t have to.