Inside The Spurs

Should Spurs Trade For Hornets Guard James Bouknight?

Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight struggled in his rookie year and could use a change of scenery. The San Antonio Spurs could entertain a low-risk, high-reward option.
Jeremy Brener|
Should Spurs Trade For Hornets Guard James Bouknight?
Should Spurs Trade For Hornets Guard James Bouknight?

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San Antonio SpursCharlotte Hornets

The San Antonio Spurs need a few lucky breaks. 

The team is taking chances on a lot of young, promising players ... but these prospects are like lottery tickets. The Spurs make the investment and hope it pays off. But in a rebuilding situation, you can never have too many of these players, which builds the argument for why San Antonio should trade for Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight.

Bouknight, the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had a high ceiling coming out of Connecticut as a scorer but is roadblocked in Charlotte behind LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier in the backcourt. In his rookie season, Bouknight played in just 31 games for the Hornets and averaged 4.6 points per game.

And in his second preseason, Bouknight is still struggling to find his footing. He's averaging just 5.4 points per game while shooting 25 percent from the field. So far, he's got bust written all over him ... which is exactly why the Spurs should try and revive his career.

His trade value is super low, but if the Spurs develop him and offer consistent playing time, Bouknight could play more like his UConn self that made him a lottery pick.

The cost for Bouknight would probably end up being pretty low. It would only cost a mid-level salary like Zach Collins to get the deal done. The team could also open it to a larger deal and include other players to entice the Hornets a little more.

There are reasons for the Spurs to not consider trading for Bouknight. While Bouknight would represent a potential heavy-scoring option for the Spurs, it could take away playing time from rookies Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham. However, if the Spurs can find the opportunity to play Bouknight while not sacrificing the other young players they want to develop, there's no reason the deal shouldn't be made.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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