Perfect Offseason Blueprint for the Charlotte Hornets' Roster

The Charlotte Hornets are embarking on a very important offseason. With the right moves, Charlotte will make that leap into the upper echelon of Eastern Conference contenders. With the wrong moves, they'll likely stay stuck as a Play-In team.

Given the fact that the Hornets, who had the best net rating in the NBA after inserting Moussa Diabaté into the lineup (10.2, 0.9 clear of the San Antonio Spurs), we can safely say that the Hornets probably won't and do not need to make any huge moves.

That means they don't need to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Bam Adebayo. They don't need to sign LeBron James or Kristaps Porzingis. They don't need to hit an absolute home run in the NBA draft, either. The Hornets just need to be smart and calculated in all three areas.

Re-Sign Coby White

The Hornets could run it back and be in pretty good shape. The metrics suggest that the run they went on was more than legitimate, and running it back wouldn't be the worst idea. They'd be at least as good, if not better, since they'd have a full season of this roster.

Running it back, though, demands re-signing White. Regardless of what they do, this has to be the top priority. He is the perfect backup guard, and he fits the offense so well. Whatever it costs, even if it ranges to $30 million a year, shouldn't stop Charlotte.

Trade Miles Bridges

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) goes to the basket against Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Hornets have a decision to make about Miles Bridges, and it's one that I think is fairly obvious. Grant Williams was better than him last year. He's an expiring contract. He was the weakest link in the starting five, and Charlotte was worse with him on the floor by nearly six points.

He's an easy trade candidate, but there's another reason why it absolutely needs to be done. The Hornets have very few roster spots open, and they will presumably need room for Liam McNeeley and Tidjane Salaün, plus the rookie(s) they draft. Trading Bridges kills like four birds with one stone.

Sign Tobias Harris

I am not going to stop advising the Hornets to sign Tobias Harris until he's no longer a free agent. The Pistons went from awful to a playoff contender to a title contender in a few years, and it honestly began when they signed Harris (among other things).

The Hornets have gone from awful to a playoff contender already, and adding Harris would help elevate them even further. He's a bruiser and a true veteran leader, two things these Hornets badly need. If nothing else, he'd bring more size to the power forward spot.

Package the draft picks and trade up

There are a couple of draft prospects that intrigue me for the Hornets, namely Yaxel Lendeborg, Hannes Steinbach, and Nate Ament. Those three, according to a lot of big boards, may not be there at 14, let alone 18. Plus, as mentioned, the Hornets are not overflowing with rotation spots.

They can't really afford to draft two rookies to this roster unless they trade Bridges, Grant Williams, and Josh Green and avoid signing anyone in free agency. That's not going to happen, so the Hornets should package 14 and 18 to move up to around 10 and take a forward instead of two.

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