Five Decisions Charlotte Needs To Make Before The Trade Deadline
The Hornets are without a doubt going to be buyers at the trade deadline. After sending Terry Rozier to Miami, the Hornets are clearly still open for business. Multiple Hornets' players names have appeared in trade rumors, including Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington, and Nick Richards. As well, the Hornets are looking to move on newly acquired guard Kyle Lowry.
The Hornets will have a lot of decisions to make in the upcoming weeks, these are the decisions I think they should make.
1. Trade Hayward, Don't Buy Him Out
The Gordon Hayward experiment in Charlotte has failed. His level of play hasn't been the issue, but just look at his lack of availability across the previous four seasons.
| 2020-2021 Season | 2021-2022 Season | 2022-2023 Season | 2023-2024 Season |
|---|---|---|---|
44 Games Played | 49 Games Played | 50 Games Played | 25 Games Played |
The Hornets signed Hayward in the 2020 off-season looking for a veteran that could help push the Hornets to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Well, that certainly did not happen. Not only did the Hornets never make the playoffs with Hayward on the roster, but he didn't establish himself as a leader like the Hornets had hoped.
The Hornets should look to trade the 33-year-old forward to try and recoup some level of value. In any deal, the Hornets would likely have to take on another sizeable contract from another team to deal Hayward away. Presumably, Kupchak will look to receive draft compensation in any type of deal.
Call me bitter, but I think buying out Hayward would be a disservice to Hornets fans. Allowing the veteran a chance to earn more money and go elsewhere to compete for a championship after years of disappointment, that shouldn't be an option.
2. Move on from PJ Washington
PJ Washington has been one of the Hornets most interesting players in recent years. Washington has struggled with his consistency, which has limited his own career and impact on the Hornets. Dallas and PJ Washington were linked in the off-season, with Grant Williams yet to pan out perhaps they could still be interested?
After recently scoring 43 points versus Utah, now would be a good time to capitalise on Washington's trade value. His lack of consistency and development offensively has proven he should not be part of Charlotte's future core. Looking at the numbers only further evidences the lack of progress in Charlotte, perhaps a change is needed for both sides.
| 2019-2020 Season | 2020-2021 Season | 2021-2022 Season | 2022-2023 Season | 2023-2024 Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
12.2 PPG (4.6-10.2 FGA) | 12.9 PPG (4.7-10.7 FGA) | 10.3 PPG (3.8-8.2 FGA) | 15.7 PPG (5.9-13.4 FGA) | 13.5 PPG (5.1-11.3 FGA) |
5.4 REB | 6.5 REB | 5.2 REB | 4.9 REB | 5.1 REB |
0.8 BLK | 1.2 BLK | 0.9 BLK | 1.1 BLK | 0.8 BLK |
45.5% FG 37.4 % 3PT | 44.0% FG 38.6% 3PT | 47.0% FG 36.5% 3PT | 44.4% FG 34.8% 3PT | 44.8% FG 34.3% 3PT |
30.3 MIN | 30.5 MIN | 27.2 MIN | 32.6 MIN | 28.9 MIN |
3. Stick with Miles Bridges
One of the trickier and more difficult decisions for the Hornets is figuring out what to do with Miles Bridges. Bridges has a couple of teams around the league that has expressed interest. So far, those teams are the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and the Detroit Pistons. Bridges, however, has a no-trade clause in his deal which ultimately gives him the choice of what he wants to do. He recently confirmed his hope of staying with the Hornets in an exclusive interview with Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer.
Miles Bridges - "Like I said before, the Hornets have been behind me and I want to stay here. I want to be here and that's never going to change. So as much talk as what people hear going around, just know that I want to stay with the Hornets,"
This is likely a positive indicator for Bridges in terms of remaining on the roster, but the new ownership could have other plans for Michigan State alum. Don't forget there is a hearing on February 20th that is currently looming over Bridges, could that impact his trade value? Recently, Bridges' ex posted this on Twitter regarding hate towards Bridges, which would likely indicate that Bridges will not face any more penalties.
LaMelo Ball and Bridges (otherwise known as AIR BNB) have developed a good bond and chemistry on and off the court. Losing Rozier was noticeably hard for Ball, it would be a mistake to trade Bridges as well, which could create more frustration for Ball. The Hornets' stuck with Bridges through a lot and made it clear he was important and wanted on the team, so why give up on that now?
At just 25-years-old, Bridges is still improving his game. Averaging career highs in points per game (20.9) and rebounds per game (7.3). As well, the forward has achieved seven straight 20+ point games, which is a career high.
One of Bridges' best qualities is being able to stay healthy and stay on the court. As some say, "the best ability is your availability." Bridges has surpassed 65 games played in each of his four previous seasons.
Understandably, Bridges is an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-2024 season, but as long as he is being truthful about wanting to stay in Charlotte, the Hornets should aim to keep him.
4. Hold onto Nick Richards
Nick Richards appearing in trade rumors is perhaps one of the biggest shocks ahead of the trade deadline. The reason why? Richards has one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA.
| 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 |
|---|---|---|
$5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
Clearly, Richards has a very tradeable contract, but it's also an ideal contract for the Hornets. The ownership has to keep in mind that Mark Williams has missed the past two months with a back injury. Back injuries are very serious matters, especially for 7'0 centers, where we have seen many careers end up being derailed.
Currently, the 26-year-old center is playing the best basketball of his career. Over his past four games, Richards is averaging 16.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, while shooting an impressive 75.0% from the field. When in his regular role as a backup he's one of the best in the NBA.
Is trading Richards really worth it for the Hornets? I don't think so. The return Charlotte would receive for him would most likely be a role player and a couple of second-round picks. Why not keep him, while you find out more about the severity of Williams' back injury? It's hard to find a center in this league with the talent and team-friendly contract that Richards has, especially on a team starving for size and physicality.
5. The Obvious - Trade/Buyout Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry has no intention of playing with the Charlotte Hornets. As well, Mitch Kupchak has suggested the team will not play the veteran until they try to get a deal done. Lowry is noticeably near the end of his career, averaging career lows as a starter of 8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with just a 58.2% true shooting percentage, making it harder to deal him in any potential trade. The most difficult factor is his expensive contract of around $30 million. Many teams will likely be waiting to see if the Hornets will buyout his contract, but the fact Charlotte made the Rozier trade ahead of the trade deadline, suggests they think there's a possibility to re-trade Lowry. Kupchak and the organization will be working the phone in an effort to find any takers.
The NBA Trade Deadline is Thursday, February 8th at 3 p.m est.
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