Can the Hornets keep and play Moussa Diabaté, Mark Williams, and Jusuf Nurkić?

Because the Mark Williams trade is currently rescinded and the Jusuf Nurkić deal is finalized, the Charlotte Hornets now have three players who they would ordinarily use as their center. When Williams was traded, Moussa Diabaté became the de facto starter. Bringing in Nurkić provided depth they then didn't need when Williams came back to town.

The Hornets are challenging this with the NBA, so this is all said with a caveat. If they win and Williams goes back to the Los Angeles Lakers, then it won't matter. Diabaté and Nurkić can be the two-man center rotation.

If Williams stays, though, they now have a problem. Assuming Williams isn't shut down for the year, he would once again be the starter, but there just aren't that many minutes to back him up at center for both Diabaté and Nurkić.

Diabaté needs development as he's young and pretty unproven, so minutes are key. Nurkić is making a lot of money for this year and next, so it's not like he can rot on the bench, either. What can Charlotte do? The answer may be a slight positional shift.

Feb 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) lays in the basket over Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Both Nurkić and Williams are too tall to realistically play the four, although they could sparingly be used together in huge lineups. Diabaté doesn't have that problem, though. In fact, he's a little undersized as a center anyway. At 6'9", he's arguably a much better height for the power forward spot.

This would make him Miles Bridges' backup or the Hornets could get crazy and put Bridges back to the three and move Josh Green to the bench. This would give them a tall lineup, but it would allow for Diabaté, Bridges, and Williams to all play at the same time. That would leave Tidjane Salaün, the sixth overall pick in last year's draft, with some minutes backing up Diabaté.

Nurkic could come off the bench for Williams, and Green could back up Bridges or even slide into Brandon Miller's spot at shooting guard. It's currently held by Nick Smith Jr., but the Hornets would have plenty of options.

This may be a difficult situation to navigate, but there's a solution to the playing time issue once Williams' status is truly resolved.

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