Grade the Trade: Hornets flip Jusuf Nurkić for Jazz guard Collin Sexton

The Hornets made a splash Sunday afternoon, landing Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick in exchange for center Jusuf Nurkić.

The deal came out of nowhere. The Jazz were rumored to be shopping Sexton, but Charlotte wasn’t anywhere near the rumor mill. Most expected them to simply run it back with a healthy LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann.

That wasn’t the case. President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson, fresh off a strong 2025 NBA Draft class, made another move that signals the Hornets are done sitting quietly.

Charlotte just landed a highly productive player.

Sexton had a pretty solid year playing for Utah. He put up around 18 points a game, chipped in a few rebounds and assists, and was really efficient with his shooting — hitting nearly half his shots overall and knocking down 40% of his shots from deep.

He was putting up numbers in Cleveland before that too. Now, he’ll get a fresh start in Charlotte.

Now, let’s grade the trade for Peterson and the Hornets.

Grading the Trade: A-

Mar 12, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz point guard Collin Sexton (2) celebrates a basket during the Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies game at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Smith-Imagn Images | Matthew Smith-Imagn Images

Peterson deserves credit for landing a 26-year-old guard who can slide right into the rotation at the two, while moving off Nurkić, who likely wasn’t part of the long-term plans. It’s clear the team got younger after a solid draft, and Sexton fits that direction.

Both Sexton and Nurkić are on expiring deals, but the Hornets are much more likely to extend Sexton than Nurkić. Plus, adding a future second-round pick only sweetens the deal. This feels like a win.

It’s not a perfect trade, though. Charlotte still lost its starting center for next season, and as of now, Moussa Diabaté and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner are the only bigs locked into the rotation. Free agency officially opens in less than a week, so they’ll have time to address that.

Bottom line — the frontcourt still needs help, but this was a step forward. Peterson was aggressive, added a proven scorer, and didn’t mortgage the future to do it. The Hornets might not be done yet, but it’s clear they’re finally ready to make some noise.

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