The Toughest Roster Decision Charlotte Hornets Still Have to Make

The Charlotte Hornets have done plenty of wheeling and dealing this offseason, and the result is a roster that only slightly resembles the one from last year. There have been a few substantial changes, to say the least.

The result has also been an overstuffed roster. The Hornets have two more players than they're supposed to after waiving Mo Gueye, who came over in the LaMelo Ball deal. The toughest decision remaining is how to get down under the limit, and most importantly, who has to leave.

The Hornets have, by my estimation, a few players on the fringe of the roster for various reasons. It would not be shocking if any of Pat Connaughton, Tre Mann, Grant Williams, Dorian Finney-Smith, or Royce O'Neale were offloaded.

The tough decision is finding out which of those five players to offload and how best to do it. For Connaughton, it's simple. He is a prime candidate to be waived with a small salary, but the Hornets love his veteran presence, and they picked up his option for a reason.

Grant Williams may feel unlike the others because he's a meaningful rotational player, but he also has an expiring contract. He's the most tradable player on the roster, which would make it fairly easy to move on from him and open up that roster spot.

Finney-Smith has only one guaranteed year left on his deal, which makes him both tradable and easy to buy out. It wouldn't hurt the Hornets to do so, although they'd prefer to trade him. His value is obviously low right now.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) is guarded by Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mann and O'Neale have multiple years left on their deals. Mann has been bad since signing his contract, and it's not an albatross, so he'd be easy to move on from. O'Neale has no connection to the team as of now, making a reroute possible.

So who stays and who goes? That's for Hornets GM Jeff Peterson to decide. And ultimately, it comes down to parting with players he likes having on the roster. He has to decide what of Connaughton's leadership, Williams' production, Mann's development, Finney-Smith's defense, and O'Neale's shooting is worth keeping.

It's a hard choice to make, but it has to be done. The Hornets don't have any other options, and while losing Mann, Finney-Smith, or Connaughton in particular wouldn't hurt, there are reasons to keep all of them.

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