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Charlotte Hornets are Aggressively Pursuing a Trade for Lou Williams

By Jerry Stephens

Dec 20, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) runs down the court after hitting a three point basket in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Lakers 117-113. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) runs down the court after hitting a three point basket in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Lakers 117-113. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Charlotte Hornets are in trade talks once again as they are reportedly interested in a trade for Lou Williams from the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, “Charlotte aggressively pursuing Los Angeles guard Lou Williams, league sources tell ESPN.” The Charlotte Hornets look to be buyers as the February 23rd trade deadline draws closer. The have now been mentioned in a number of rumored deals but this one is the most concrete so far.

This report follows an earlier report from Marc Stein that moving Williams is “one move widely expected” from Los Angeles. The Lakers are looking to tank and get a first round pick in return for Lou. They have recently undergone front office changes with GM Mitch Kupchak and owner/EVP of basketball operations in Jim Buss being fired and Ervin “Magic” Johnson being hired to replace them.

With this news/move, it is clear that Charlotte’s looking to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season as they attempt to make a playoff push. The Hornets have enough assets in terms of players and pick to make a deal for Williams possible. The biggest question will be if they are willing to part with a first-rounder in order to get Lou in the Queen City.

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The 30-year old is averaging 18.6 points per game, 3.2 assists per game and 2.3 rebounds per game so far this season. Williams is shooting 44.4% from the field and 38.6% from the three-point line for the Lakers. He is playing in 24.2 minutes per game in 58 games this year with only one start.

He is the ideal bench scorer for just about any contending team in the league. LA’s looking to sell high as the 6’1 combo guard is averaging a career-high in points per game and three-point percentage. There are a number of teams interested in Williams but the Hornets have been the first team directly linked in aggressive talks.

Adding Lou would give Charlotte a scoring punch off the bench to help replace the hole left by Jeremy Lin from last season. He could play alongside Kemba Walker as a combo guard late in games much like Lin did. Williams’ contract runs through next season and he is set to make $7 million next year which is considered a steal for a quality bench player in today’s NBA market.

A noteworthy report about the Lakers wanting to deal Williams is Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders saying “They’re not looking for a ton of return. They’re looking to shed that salary.” That could mean that Charlotte gets him on the cheap, possibly without giving up a first.

Next: Rumor: Hornets Interested in Bojan Bogdanovic

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days as there is only a short amount of time to get this deal done before the trade deadline. The Charlotte Hornets have made their intentions clear that they have no interest in tanking and still think they can make some noise this year in the postseason.

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