Charlotte Hornets Should Look to Trade Marvin Williams for Enes Kanter
Although Enes Kanter has his struggles on the defensive end, he would give the Charlotte Hornets the low post presence that they’ve lacked.
The Charlotte Hornets will surely be active in the trade market this summer as they look to make positive additions to their roster. Marvin Williams isn’t the most attractive player on the trade market for them but could they get Enes Kanter in return for the veteran stretch four? Adi Joseph of ForTheWin for USA Today introduced the trade idea in a recent article.
Joseph said “Could they pry, say, Marvin Williams away from the Charlotte Hornets for Enes Kanter? That might help both teams; the Hornets could use youth and a post scorer to replicate what Al Jefferson provided them, while Williams would give the Thunder a more competent stretch-four.”
Salary wise, the deal works out on paper (aka the ESPN Trade Machine) but how would it work out for both teams and more importantly, the Hornets? It is true that they did struggle this past season without the low post scoring of Al Jefferson so Kanter could help fill that void but Enes’ does have one glaring weakness and that is his defense. Let’s take a closer look at this hypothetical trade.
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Other than an $8.4 million Mid-Level Exception, Charlotte has almost no wiggle room in terms of cap space this offseason. That means that the only ways they can get better are through the draft (lottery pick) and through trades. In the past, Rich Cho has made a number of trades that have benefitted the team. He is known for taking risks like trading for Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lamb, Marco Belinelli and even Courtney Lee in the past few of years.
Making a move for the Oklahoma City Thunder big man would be a pretty big risk for the Hornets considering his inconsistencies on the defensive end. He isn’t a great shot blocker or rim protector and if you watched their first round series against the Houston Rockets this postseason, you would’ve seen Kanter being benched because Billy Donovan found him unplayable against James Harden and company. Despite that, his lethal offensive could overshadow his downfalls for Charlotte.
Steve Clifford puts an onus on defense so he would probably get frustrated at times with Kanter but in the long run, being with Charlotte could help the 24-year old. Because the team prioritizes defending, they would likely work with Enes in an attempt to vastly improve his defensive positioning and timing. Not only that but by being on an all-around better defensive time like the Hornets would help hide his struggles. That wasn’t a luxury the Thunder had as they aren’t a defense first time.
Even though Kanter is scheduled to make $17.8 million next season compared to only $13.1 million for Williams, that is a $4 million pill the Hornets may want to swallow. Marvin is aging at 30-year old while Enes is still only 24. After a career season in 2015-16, Charlotte’s power forward took a step back this year. Looking at his contract that runs until 2020 if he accepts his player option, the Hornets may have some regrets about signing the former UNC Tarheel to that massive deal.
Kanter – 21.3 PPG, 14.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 BPG, 54.5% FG/ 13.2% 3P/ 78.6% FT
Williams – 30.2 MPG, 11.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 BPG, 42.2% FG/ 35% 3P/ 87.3% FT
Enes scored more points and grabbed more rebounds per game in fewer minutes than Marvin in the 2016 campaign. Even though he struggles to stretch the floor from deep, Kanter is reportedly working on expanding his range would help but is not necessary in order for him to play alongside Cody Zeller. Also, he would give Kemba Walker another pick and roll big man to create with.
Although the league is moving away from traditional low post scoring big man, the 6’11 Kanter could still be a valuable asset on a number of teams. After all, Charlotte could use some help scoring inside as they ranked 27th in points in the paint per game with only 39.9 this past season. (TeamRankings.com) In my opinion, this trade makes more sense for the Hornets than it does for the Thunder.
First of all, OKC would have to be willing to not only part ways with him (which there is no indication of but after his benching against the Rockets, the rumors create themselves) but also want Williams in return which may not excite too many Thunder fans or the organization. He would give Russell Westbrook a true versatile forward like Adi Joseph mentioned but an aging player coming off of a down season isn’t exactly a hot commodity.
Still, Marvin isn’t a bad player and in the right system, he can flourish. Catch and shoot opportunities will be aplenty if he plays with Russell Westbrook and he could be a better fit than Enes ever was.
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If Steve Clifford and the Charlotte Hornets can live with his defensive lapses, then they should be looking to make a move for Kanter. With Enes’ scoring upside, it makes sense for Rich Cho to bring him to Buzz City. He could provide the Al Jefferson style that the team missed.