Hornets' Jeff Peterson is Cooking at the Trade Deadline and Sticking to His Blueprint

Just a couple of months ago, it felt like the Charlotte Hornets were barreling toward another bottom-of-the-barrel finish that would result in another lottery pick and several questions about this young core.

Boy, have times quickly changed. The Hornets have been playing the best basketball of anyone in the league, and even with a tough upcoming schedule, they have no plans of slowing down.

On the eve of the trade deadline, President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson struck a deal to land veteran guard Coby White from the Chicago Bulls. Later in the day, he also acquired Tyus Jones and a pair of second-round picks, recouping what he lost (aside from Collin Sexton and Miles Plumlee) in the three-team trade with Chicago and Oklahoma City.

What exactly do these moves mean? Charlotte’s front office knows it has something special building and took the first step toward becoming a legit contender in the East for years to come.

No, it’s not an Anthony Davis-level acquisition like Washington made or a Giannis-level addition, which is still to be settled, but now is not the time for the Hornets to go out and make that big splash.

Right now, they need to stabilize the second unit, allowing them to remain competitive when LaMelo Ball takes a seat for a few minutes. Coby White fixes that problem.

I can’t compliment Jeff Peterson enough for the work he’s done in his short time as the Hornets’ key decision maker. Every trade he makes comes with great value and understanding for the parts he ships out the door. The main key? He’s sticking to his plan. He’s being patient, waiting to strike big when the time is right.

What does that big fish look like? What position would it be?

It’s hard to tell, but by process of elimination, it would have to be an upgrade at either power forward (Miles Bridges) or center (Moussa Diabaté). Given how well Moussa has played, particularly on the glass, it’s hard to see a scenario where he’s not part of this thing long-term, and because of Bridges’ salary, he can help make a trade for a prize piece happen.

Watching this seven-game winning streak has been entertaining, and it does make you think that big things are possible, even this year. The reality is, this team still needs to learn how to win throughout the course of an entire season. One winning streak, albeit an impressive one, is not enough to convince the front office that this group is ready for that massive move.

Right now, the goal is for this bunch to continue to develop, win games, and get a taste of the postseason.

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