Mock Trade: Hornets Send No. 6 to Division Rival

As we inch closer to draft night, we continue to roll through mock trade ideas that could involve the Charlotte Hornets moving up or down the draft board. The latest trade idea proposed by James Plowright and Chase Whitney involve the Hornets moving down eight spots, giving up the sixth pick in the draft and Dāvis Bertāns.

HORNETS RECEIVE:

- G DeAndre Hunter

- F AJ Griffin

HAWKS RECEIVE:

- Dāvis Bertāns

- Cody Martin

- 6th overall pick

WHY IT WORKS

The Hornets need to find a way to unload Bertans and this is one way to do it. Charlotte would love to have his shooting ability, but he's a one-trick pony that doesn't offer much of anything else. The Hawks would likely waive Bertans in this scenario, but they do get another crack at snagging a top player in this year's draft at No. 6 in addition to a really stout defender in Cody Martin to help the initial stages of the rebuild.

Charlotte gets an offensive upgrade in Hunter, who has averaged 14.3 points per game over his first five years in the NBA. He shoots 36% from three and is shooting the three-ball at a much higher volume than Martin who is at 31% for his career. As for Griffin, he's a former first-round pick that had a pretty strong rookie campaign averaging nearly nine points, two rebounds, and 15 minutes per game before falling out of Atlanta's rotation. There's still a lot of potential there and he's probably worth taking the chance on over any player that's going to be available at his position at No. 6.

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