Charlotte Hornets Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL) 

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Terry Rozier, F/C PJ Washington, G/F Kelly Oubre 

Yes, the path forward for the Lakers is clear. That isn’t so for the Hornets. If we were to pen a letter to their general manager, we wouldn’t know where to begin. 

That’s not to say the Hornets are in a bad position. That would be an overstatement. After all, having LaMelo Ball on your team automatically puts you in a decent position moving forward. 

At the same time, the Hornets do face some adversity. Losing Miles Bridges this summer was a major blow, and they haven’t really replaced him either. 

The path forward is unclear. This team has plenty of useful veterans that contenders could use.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates

They could try to join their ranks, or, take a temporary step backward in a bid to eventually make a giant leap forwards. 

Is this the right way to go about executing the latter plan?