NBA insider suggests Hornets consider making bonkers Anthony Davis trade

The Charlotte Hornets are trending in the right direction. For the last five weeks or so, they've played maybe the best basketball they have in years. They're not always winning, but they're playing teams much closer than in the past.

Since the new year, they've hovered around .500, which is pretty significant for this franchise. And in the Eastern Conference, that is probably Play-In range. In fact, it might be pretty close to the sixth seed when it's all said and done.

Could the Hornets make a move to really go for it? They're beginning to see that when their three stars, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and LaMelo Ball, are healthy and playing, they tend to see a whole lot more success.

Would they consider a blockbuster for Anthony Davis? Probably not, but one insider believes they'd quietly be a very good fit for the injured big man. He's hurt right now and may miss several weeks, but when he returns, the Hornets could be very dangerous.

"Don't laugh! They've had a top-five offense since the beginning of December and are ready to make a run at the Play-In Tournament this season. What they lack is a defensive anchor. You know, like Davis, and all of the shooting and playmaking here would do wonders for him on offense," CBS Sports' Sam Quinn wrote.

He stated that having Kon Knueppel on a rookie deal helps because that clears some financial flexibility, especially if the Hornets want to extend Davis so his current deal expires when Knueppel's rookie deal does.

"The Hornets control Dallas' first-round pick in 2027, making them obvious trade partners. If Charlotte's options are keeping that pick in a world in which a healthy-ish Davis and Irving are playing for the Mavericks or trading it for someone who could help them take a real step toward the playoffs, well, it's worth considering," he concluded.

There are a few problems with this. Sure, the Hornets would be better, but is it worth digging into the stockpile of assets to go for the sixth seed this year? I don't think so. The future is brighter if they keep accumulating assets and young players instead of an aging, hurt veteran.

Quinn didn't theorize a package for Davis, but it's pretty difficult to get the deal done without including LaMelo Ball. The salaries are hard to match otherwise, even if Miles Bridges is included.

The best I could do on Spotrac's trade machine was packaging Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, and Grant Williams for Davis and Klay Thompson to match salaries (not even including picks that would have to be doled out), and I'm not sure either team likes that, so Ball would likely be the centerpiece.

That would remove the playmaking Quinn referenced, and it would be a bad idea to trade Ball. There is a path to completing a deal like this without him, but it's much harder and probably a little more costly overall, so I don't view Davis as a worthwhile pursuit.

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