Five Free Agent Guard Options for the Charlotte Hornets Following Roster Shuffle

The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball. Perhaps in the history of the franchise, there has never been a playmaker quite so gifted. The passing prowess he displayed was a big reason for their recent success.

Before that, they drafted Christian Anderson, who averaged an astonishing 11.4 assists per 100 possessions last year for Texas Tech. He's certainly one of the best passers in the rookie class.

Aside from that, the Hornets have brought in Coby White, Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale, and Grayson Allen. None of them are high-level facilitators, so all the hope rests on Anderson's rookie shoulders.

That's not ideal, and the Hornets now have some flexibility in free agency, which begins tomorrow. There are facilitators available, although not too many that will make a huge impact for what the Hornets can spend.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook brings negative spacing, but the Hornets have plenty of shooting to surround him with. He's also probably the best passer on the market, and he'd be fairly cheap. He doesn't have the same gravity that LaMelo Ball did, but he's the closest in terms of passing creativity and quality.

Jevon Carter

As a backup guard, the Hornets could do worse than Jevon Carter. The West Virginia product averaged 5.3 assists per 100 possessions, which isn't super high, but it's still a solid enough number for what would likely be the third guard in rotation.

Tyus Jones

Tyus Jones was a Hornet for all of five minutes, but he would've been a nice backup facilitator. Now, as a free agent, he can be again. He averaged 7.3 assists per 100 possessions, and he's been a capable guard for a decade now.

Gary Payton II

Breaking the trend, Gary Payton II isn't a great facilitator (4.1 assists per 100 possessions last year). He is an excellent defender, though. For his career, he averages 3.1 steals per 100 possessions, so if the Hornets want to bring in a backup stopper, Payton is the guy.

Gabe Vincent

Gabe Vincent's assist numbers ticked up last year, which is perhaps something the Hornets could capitalize on. The guard averaged 4.4 assists per 36 minutes compared to a career mark of 3.5 per 36.

Much of this is scraping the bottom of the barrel, but the guard options are severely limited in free agency. The Hornets might be better off using the $40.7 million exception to trade for a facilitator at this point.

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