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Would a Jaren Jackson Jr. Trade Help Charlotte Hornets More Than Miles Bridges?

Assuming the Hornets do a deal like this, Miles Bridges would almost have to be included. Is that a good thing?
Zach Roberts|
Memphis Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) drives into defender
Memphis Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) drives into defender | Matthew Smith-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have the resources to go out and make a big trade. With things in Memphis not going terribly well, trade rumors involving both Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. have sparked.

For obvious reasons, only one of those players would be worthwhile for the Hornets. Adding Jackson would absolutely make the roster better since he's a former Defensive Player of the Year, but would it actually raise the ceiling for the Hornets? And at what cost?

The first thing that needs to be established is how much impact Jackson could have. The Hornets are not the Grizzlies, so on/off splits aren't a perfect comparison. Still, the Hornets are 7.4 points worse with Bridges on the floor. The Grizzlies are only 3.6 points worse with Jackson on.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) goes up for a slam dunk against the San Antonio Spurs
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) goes up for a slam dunk against the San Antonio Spurs | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

Bridges has a 116.6 offensive rating, and Jackson is posting a mark of 108.2, so Bridges is significantly better there. On defense, Bridges is 116.6 as well, while Jackson's defensive rating is pretty great: 111.9.

That also means Bridges is slightly negative in net rating (-0.1 because of the extra decimal points), and Jackson is firmly negative at -3.7. By that metric, Bridges has been a better player than Jackson, although it's not quite that simple.

There's also the simple fact that the Hornets' five-man starting lineup was, prior to yesterday's contest with the New Orleans Pelicans, the best unit in the entire NBA by a wide margin.

Teams don't have to factor in chemistry when making a trade because that can be formed, and getting better players should always be the name of the game, but those numbers can't be ignored. As middling as Bridges has seemingly been, the Hornets are balling with him.

Additionally, the Hornets can't just swap salaries with the Grizzlies here. It won't cost just Bridges, as the Hornets would still be $1.473 million over the allowable income, so someone else (probably Mason Plumlee) would have to be included.

They would also have to fork over at least a couple of first-round picks, maybe more. Jackson is incredibly valuable even if he's not playing at an All-Star level right now, and the Hornets might be better off continuing to grow the asset pile.

The Hornets might be better with Jackson over Bridges, but that much at least isn't abundantly clear after diving into the metrics. That, as well as the cost, means they should probably sit this hypothetical deal out.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI

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