Charlotte Hornets Sadly Predicted to Trade Their Best Bench Player in Offseason

For all the love Coby White deservedly gets, the best Charlotte Hornets reserve might be Grant Williams. If nothing else, Williams is the best non-guard coming off what is actually a pretty deep bench.

Williams has been one of Charlotte's best players regardless of starting status. His 105.2 defensive rating trails just Pat Connaughton, Antonio Reeves, and Xavier Tillman, and only Connaughton's played more than Williams.

His offensive rating is good, too. Williams is fifth on the team (excluding Mason Plumlee) at 119.3. That adds up to a whopping 14.1 net rating, the best of any player except Antonio Reeves. Williams has been flat-out sensational.

But would the Hornets trade him? Williams' contract ends after next season, so he'd be an expiring contract by the time the trade window opens again. In other words, he's a prime trade candidate, as Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz pointed out.

The Charlotte Hornets have the best starting lineup in all of basketball (min. 250 possessions), with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabaté registering a net rating of plus-29.4 this season," Swartz wrote. "When examining potential trades, the Hornets should look to their bench instead."

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) and forward Miles Bridges (0) react | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Williams "makes the most sense" as trade fodder, with his expiring contract and the fact that he's obviously healthy after his torn ACL and shooting an impressive 38.3% from distance. He's a "floor-spacing power forward who's shown good defensive chops."

That's exactly why the Hornets shouldn't trade him. He's been great. He should be an extension candidate before he's traded. It would make a whole lot more sense to trade Miles Bridges and move Williams into the starting five.

Yes, as mentioned, that starting five is the best in the sport, but Bridges is the major weak spot in that lineup. His 3.3 net rating is the worst among the five. His defensive rating is the worst (yes, slightly worse than LaMelo Ball). His offensive rating is the worst, too.

It's not like he's a bad player, but he's the weak link. The Hornets are 4.8 points worse with him on the floor. He's the only starter negatively impacting the team like that. And for comparison, the Hornets are 10.9 points better with Williams on the floor.

They're both under contract for one more season, and Bridges is worth $25 million. The right move here would be to trade Bridges, promote Williams, and maybe even extend him. The wrong move would be trading the best backup the Hornets have.

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