Crafting the Perfect Hornets Trades for Aaron Gordon and Lauri Markkanen

One thing became clear at the end of the season for the Charlotte Hornets: they need more size in the frontcourt. The combination of Moussa Diabaté and Miles Bridges combines shooting with offensive rebounding, but it leaves them seriously undersized.

Bridges is undersized as a power forward, and Diabaté is about the size of your average center, but that doesn't make up for Bridges' lack of height. Plus, Diabaté is only 210 pounds, so he's not built to physically impose his will against these bigger centers.

There are multiple ways to attack the lack of size and physicality, which kind of go hand in hand, of the Hornets' frontcourt. The Hornets are likely to draft at least one prospect who checks those boxes. Free agency could be an option, with players like Isaiah Hartenstein or John Collins making sense.

The Hornets can also get busy in the trade department, where they have ample assets to go out and attack this issue. Aaron Gordon and Lauri Markkanen, for two different reasons, both make a lot of sense and could potentially be available.

Aaron Gordon mock trade

Aaron Gordon may not be the high-flyer he once was or Miles Bridges still is, but he does what Bridges does at a higher level and plays much better defense. Even though he played just 36 games, Gordon had a 124.7 offensive rating, second-best in the NBA among those with 30 or more games, to only Nikola Jokic.

On defense, he posted a solid 112.0 defensive rating, 2.8 points better than Bridges. He's also got one inch and almost 20 pounds on Bridges, so he would be a much more imposing physical threat down low. Gordon's 62% mark bested Bridges' 57% true shooting, too.

He's older and more injury-prone, but he'd represent a pretty big upgrade. The Hornets would have to shell out some assets to acquire him, but they have plenty of those to work with. If the Nuggets, who can't seem to advance in the playoffs anymore, decide this core isn't working, Gordon would be highly sought after.

To get him, the Hornets could package Miles Bridges, a 2027 first-round pick top-two protected (via Dallas Mavericks), a 2029 first-round pick (via Cleveland Cavaliers), and a couple of future second-rounders to get the deal done.

The reason Charlotte would want to part with the top-two protected Dallas pick is the new lottery system. It's top-two protected, but now, the best chance of a top-two pick comes outside the three worst records, where Dallas is likely to land. It's valuable, but this new lottery makes it much more risky to hang onto if you're Charlotte.

Lauri Markkanen mock trade

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) shoots the ball over Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Lauri Markkanen is not a great defender, but he's about as good as Miles Bridges. His offensive rating was lower this year, but his shooting stroke as a seven-footer would likely lead to much better results in the Hornets' offensive system. Like Bridges, he'd have a ton of open shots and be a lob threat.

What Markkanen brings to the table, though, is size. He's 7'1" and 240 pounds. That size and the fact that he can shoot would allow the Hornets to move Diabaté to the four and keep their combination of shooting and offensive rebounding while upgrading the starting five.

Markkanen might be more costly to acquire than Gordon, though. He's more expensive financially, but he's also younger. He's had some injuries, but the Utah Jazz were probably tanking by keeping him out more often.

The Hornets could package Miles Bridges, Josh Green, the 2027 Dallas pick, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2033 first-round pick (both Charlotte's) to get Markkanen. He's probably more valuable than Gordon, and he might be the more ideal addition from Charlotte's perspective.

This gives the rebuilding Jazz more assets to work with and two expiring contracts they can keep or flip for even more assets. It gives the Hornets the height they badly need without sacrificing the spacing for their starting lineup.

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