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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ Likeliest Player to be Traded, Analyzing Schedule

By Jerry Stephens

February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard David Nwaba (10) controls the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard David Nwaba (10) controls the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buzz City Beat is your one stop for the latest and greatest news and stories from around the internet about the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets look to string together a couple wins as they take on the Phoenix Suns in the fifth game of their current road trip. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the likeliest player to be traded, analyzing the team’s remaining schedule and Frank Kaminsky finally turning the corner.

Likeliest Player to be Traded

“Hocking the three years and $39 million left on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s pact (player option for 2019-20) is the best shot Charlotte has at piecing together a blockbuster-level package that doesn’t include Kemba Walker. This puts MKG on the watch list by default.
If the Hornets make a splash on the trade market without moving Kidd-Gilchrist, it’s because Marvin Williams, picks and filler were enough to get the job done.” (BleacherReport.com)

Bleacher Report ranked the top-20 likeliest players in the NBA to be traded this offseason and it speaks volumes that two Hornets’ players were named. Only the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets also had two players listed. It is clear that Charlotte needs to make moves because they have almost no cap space for the next three seasons.

The problem is that they don’t have a lot of moveable contracts on the team at the moment. That is why selling Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and/or Marvin Williams might be their best options. It will be interesting to see what they do but something has to give if they want cap flexibility.

More from Swarm and Sting

Analyzing Remaining Schedule

“According to ESPN, Charlotte has the projected third easiest renaming schedule in 2017, only behind the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. They have 12 home games remaining to 10 away, with a majority of the match-ups being in conference. Here are the positives and negatives of the upcoming games.” (iSportsWeb.com)

While it is promising that the Hornets have the third easiest remaining schedule in the NBA(according to ESPN), that doesn’t mean wins are guaranteed. They have struggled against both good and bad teams this season. Even though they have 12 home games remaining, those 10 away games will be the true test as they haven’t been great away from home this year.

Has Kaminsky Turned the Corner?

“Only 23, Kaminsky absolutely has to be part of the Hornets’ resurrection – if there is going to be one. He’s young, he’s cheap (by NBA standards, anyway) and he can score. But the No. 9 overall pick of the 2015 draft has had problems with consistency and defense and also sometimes has a tendency to get down on himself if his first couple of shots miss.” (CharlotteObserver.com)

Next: Frank Kaminsky Changing Perceptions

The Charlotte Hornets finally have a young player to get excited about. Pretty crazy that it’s Frank Kaminsky because just a few weeks ago, he was in the midst of a sophomore slump that many thought would be his norm going forward. Now, he has turned a corner and is one of the more promising players on the roster.

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