Why the Hornets Should Not Trade Up for Michigan Star Aday Mara

The Charlotte Hornets are going to have two stabs at it in the first round of the NBA draft. Picking 14th and 18th, they'll likely end up with two similarly-ranked prospects. One popular idea is using the two picks to trade up for a better prospect.

Getting one very good prospect is better than getting two good prospects. And with the Hornets already sporting a pretty full roster, cutting down from two additions to one is a good idea to save space and ensure there are minutes to go around.

Aday Mara, the supremely gifted and massive Michigan big man, is a popular target for the Hornets. Initially pegged to go in the Hornets' range, he's now risen out of that and would require a trade up.

Should the Hornets do that?

At first, I firmly believed the Hornets would need to trade up. There just aren't roster spots for two ready-to-go rookies from this deep draft class. But the more I've looked at it, the less I like the idea.

Mara is a very good prospect, too, but he's probably not worth two first-round picks. The top eight or so prospects might be worth two picks, but Mara is right outside that range, so the Hornets would be overpaying.

That alone is enough to convince me it's a bad idea. But I also don't believe the roster is going to be as limited as it appears. Miles Bridges may be traded. Grant Williams and Josh Green could be, too. It's likely that one of them doesn't survive the summer.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and Connecticut Huskies forward Jayden Ross (23) battle | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The real crunch comes for young guys. My initial expectation was that Liam McNeeley, Tidjane Salaün, and the two prospects picked 14th and 18th would create a jam that the Hornets couldn't work around with them all needing NBA minutes.

What are the odds that both prospects are immediately ready to contribute to an NBA rotation and that Salaün and McNeeley both make the leap necessary to play meaningful minutes? A couple of them will certainly need the G League.

But even if that's the concern, it is probably better to trade back with the 18th pick and get more assets. They can trade it to a team that offers them a couple of future first-rounders to keep the stockpile of assets stocked.

That would be wiser than trading up, especially for someone who's probably not quite worth it in Mara. He fits what the Hornets need. He's absolutely massive, and he's an excellent passer. The Hornets are simply smarter than they used to be and likely won't overpay for someone they like.

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