Mock Trade: Ball Brothers Reunite
The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching, as teams now have less than 100 hours to make the moves that will shape the rest of their seasons. For teams like the 15-40 Hornets, that means finding suitors for valuable trade pieces.
Players like Mason Plumlee, Kelly Oubre Jr., Jalen McDaniels, and Terry Rozier have all been subject to the rumor mill of late. All have their merits as interesting trade pieces for a variety of reasons, and we could very well see any or all of them playing elsewhere by Thursday's deadline.
For this trade though, we're going to take a peak at a potential landing spot for Rozier. The 28-year-old guard will certainly have suitors as a ball-handler and shooter. While Rozier has been admirable next to roster-centerpiece LaMelo Ball, the 4-year, $96 million contract he's playing on doesn't really fit the timeline for a team in the race for coveted prospect Victor Wembanyama.
So here is the proposal:
Hornets receive: Lonzo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu
Bulls receive: Terry Rozier
From the Hornets perspective, Lonzo Ball ball is a perfect pairing with his younger brother, LaMelo. An unselfish player with a knack for perimeter defense, Lonzo's up-tempo style would allow LaMelo to flourish as the scorer that he is.
Lonzo hasn't played since January 14th of last season with a knee injury, but assuming the Hornets are comfortable with where he's at physically the pairing would be a slam dunk.
Dosunmu has been a rumored trade of late for the Hornets, and would make a lot of sense as a guard off the bench behind the Ball brothers.
