4 Reasons the Charlotte Hornets Should Trade Grant Williams

The Charlotte Hornets began the offseason with three main tradeable expiring contracts: Josh Green, Miles Bridges, and Grant Williams. Those are like gold for teams that want assets because any team is usually willing to take on a player who has just one year left on his deal.

Two of those are gone. Green went with LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Bridges now plays for the Phoenix Suns. The only expiring contract that was realistic (so not Moussa Diabaté, for example) left is Williams.

Could the Hornets trade him? Absolutely. They still have too many players. Should they? Probably. He's a good player, and the Hornets will be worse without him. That said, getting worse in 2026-27 doesn't matter much to the current regime, so they should trade Williams, too. Here's why.

He's on an expiring contract

Is it likely that Grant Williams gets re-signed next summer when the Hornets have, presumably, a Brandon Miller extension coming and Kon Knueppel after that? Assuming both are around the max, the Hornets have to cut out some of the fat, and Williams is that. So, trading him before he walks for nothing would be smart business. The Hornets' front office is typically smart.

Grant Williams plays both ways

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) passes the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, Grant Williams was adept at forcing misses when he was the primary defender; he ranked among the best in the NBA. He also had the seventh-best offensive rating on the team, shot 38.8% from three, and recorded nearly 13 points per 36 minutes. He plays both ways, and that has a ton of value to contending teams.

Development is more important

The Hornets will be a better team and a more likely playoff threat if they keep Grant Williams. That shouldn't matter, though. The team is angling for bigger things in the future, and that should include the further development of Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabaté, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Removing a body in the frontcourt opens up minutes for those three.

It's still about assets

Despite the ridiculous success Charlotte enjoyed at the end of last season, the Hornets are still clearly in asset acquisition. They traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in part because they could get two unprotected 2033 first-rounders. Clearly, they still want to grow the stockpile, and trading Grant Williams is a good way to continue adding to that.

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