Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal
Nope! Frankly, the Hornets are playing with fire here. There have already been reports that LaMelo Ball is growing tired of mediocrity in Charlotte. Are we sure he won’t request a trade after a season in which they deliberately lose?
Once again: nope! At the same time, this deal aims to get the Hornets off the mediocrity treadmill. It’s possible that this organization jumped the gun by surrounding Ball with decent veterans like Hayward and Terry Rozier.
Here, they reset to some extent and aim to land Ball a true co-star in the 2023 Draft.
It won’t be hard to find one, either. Outside of Wembanyama, this draft is littered with quality prospects. Nick Smith or Keyonte George could be Ball’s star backcourt mate, while wings like Ausar Thompson and Cam Whitmore would be a perfect fit with this roster as well.
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Alternatively, the Hornet could land the second pick, and trade down for a bounty to a team looking to land Scoot Henderson.
Of course, bottoming out isn’t the only benefit to this deal for the Hornets – they’re landing valuable draft capital as well. If they took this trade and had a surprisingly competitive 2022-23 season, they could use these picks to trade for a co-star instead. Are the Lakers receiving enough to move on from those valuable assets?
