Lou Williams: 'Hit the Panic Button' on Charlotte's Young Core

At one point in time, the Charlotte Hornets had one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA. Two years ago, they won 43 games and made the play-in tournament for the second straight year and looked as if it was just the beginning of something special formulating in Charlotte.

The Hornets fired James Borrego after getting blown out by Atlanta in the play-in and the team hasn't been the same since.

Following the Terry Rozier trade to Miami, former NBA guard Lou Williams was asked if it's time to hit the panic button on the Hornets as a franchise.

"As a franchise? No, I wouldn't go that far. Now, this particular group how it's built, I would hit the panic button. P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball...they've had their core for a few years now and it's just not working. Usually, when you put that young core together, you start seeing some of the fruits of having that happen. It looks like they're going backwards. They're getting to a point where this isn't going to work, so I'm hitting the panic button on blowing this particular group up. Put some other pieces around LaMelo Ball. But as a franchise, I love Charlotte."

"PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball, they've had that core for a few years now and it's not working."@TeamLou23 on if the Hornets should hit the panic button as a franchise.

📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/tW9Sq4L5RJ
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 23, 2024

I agree, to some extent. What Lou is missing here is context. It's not that this group has regressed and can't play high-level basketball together. If that's what he is trying to say here, well, then that's a real lazy take on what has transpired over the last two seasons. It's that this roster hasn't been healthy since Steve Clifford returned to the organization for a second stint as the head coach.

However, given the team's record and the contract situation of Bridges, it makes sense to not only field trade offers for him but shop him. Trading both P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges is going a tad too far, in my opinion. You don't want to have a massive rebuild this offseason or next year will be more of the same mess, just with different faces.

Washington is under contract through the 2025-26 season and can be a valuable part of this franchise's turnaround as either a solid starter or quality sixth man.

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