Charlotte Hornets trade deadline recap: Jeff Peterson aces his first test

Things are going to look significantly different on Friday night at the Spectrum Center when the Charlotte Hornets play their first game following the 2025 NBA trade deadline. In his first year as the Hornets' President of Basketball Operations, Jeff Peterson transformed the face of his franchise by pulling off a pair of moves that boast massive rewards.

Making sense of the Mark Williams trade

The trade of Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers was the headliner. Peterson and company may not have had any plans to move their starting center this February, but they were presented an offer they had no business refusing. A package of Dalton Knecht (whom the Hornets reportedly sparked the discussions around), Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, and swap rights with the Lakers in 2030, is a gigantic haul in exchange for a defensively limited big man who has played 85 games in three years as a professional.

Is there a chance the move burns Peterson and the Hornets because Mark Williams blossoms into an All-Star and Luka Dončic carries the Lakers to an NBA title in 2031? Absolutely.

But there is also a chance that Williams doesn't get any better than he is right now, Luka bolts from Los Angeles for greener pastures before the pick conveys, and come 2031 Charlotte owns an unprotected pick from one of the league's most asset poor franchises. Crazier things have happened.

Extending Mark Williams contract this summer would be a gamble. The third-year center is extension-eligible upon the season's end, and any team ponying up upwards of $25 million for a seven-footer with a history of back and foot injuries is brave. On the other hand, trading Williams, who does have legitimately promising potential, for future draft picks and a recent lottery pick like Charlotte did is also a gamble.

You don't win championships in professional sports without rolling the dice, and Peterson is hoping for a Yahtzee with this move.

Peterson strikes gold in second Suns trade

His next move, the trade of Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and one of Charlotte's dozens (or hundreds) of second-round picks for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick, was an absolute masterclass.

The Mark Williams trade created a massive hole in Charlotte's front court. The Hornets plugged that hole with Nurkic, and acquired a late first-round pick with him due to his contract that is guaranteed in 2025-26. Charlotte did so by trading two players that were unlikely to even be on the team come next autumn. Rarely does a trade receive an immediate A+ grade, but this is as close as it gets.

Peterson played his hand perfectly

Charlotte will be a bad basketball team for the rest of 2025 in their quest to secure the best chance possible at landing a franchise-changing talent in June's NBA Draft. If the Hornets are able to land a top-end prospect (Cooper Flagg? Ace Bailey? Dylan Harper?), sign a big-man in free agency, and retain unrestricted free agent Tre Mann (pending his health), they could make a serious run at the Play-In Tournament come 2026.

However, they have a golden parachute if they exceed the Play-In expectation or fail to meet it.

The Hornets' treasure trove of assets can be cashed in before next year's trade deadline in a move that puts them over the top. The bevy of first-round picks Jeff Peterson has acquired and retained can be used to make a home run-style swing to add to Charlotte's core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and whomever they draft in the 2025 lottery.

If they stumble out of the blocks in 2025, Peterson can easily pivot back into asset collection mode. A few more months of data in regards to the fit of Ball and Miller in Charlotte's back court will be key before next season's trade deadline. If Peterson and company don't believe the duo is good enough to lead the Hornets back to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, he can sell one (or both) at next February's deadline and kick the can down the road even further as Charlotte's asset base grows.

Charlotte's options moving forward are limitless, but one thing is clear: the man making the decisions for the Hornets is the right man for the job. Jeff Peterson knows what he is doing.

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