Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets valued at $1.05 billion, Could Treveon Graham be traded?
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
With New York Knicks‘ all-star Kristaps Porzingis tearing his ACL, they will need another injury replacement from the East in the All-Star Game and Kemba Walker is the logical choice. (CharlotteObserver.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the monetary value of the Charlotte Hornets‘ franchise, why Treveon Graham might be traded this season and Cody Zeller‘s recovery from his recent knee injury.
Hornets valued at $1.05 billion (RealGM.com)
"The average NBA franchise is now worth a record $1.65 billion, up 22% over last year, and more than triple the figure of five years ago. Every NBA team is valued at $1 billion or more for the first time in league history."
Charlotte’s franchise value went up 35% from last year. While that jump is pretty remarkable, the Hornets still rank near the bottom of the league in terms of franchise value. They rank only ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies ($1.025 billion) and the New Orleans Pelicans ($1 billion). Still, it’s incredible that every NBA team is now worth more than $1B.
It speaks to how much the league has grown. It ‘s worth noting that Michael Jordan bought the then-Bobcats for only $275 million. Over the last eight years, the franchise has gone up nearly $800 million in value. The New York Knicks ($3.6 billion) and the Los Angeles Lakers ($3.3 billion) are still the two most valuable franchises.
Could Treveon Graham be traded? (TheRinger.com)
"The problem for the Hornets is that Graham will be a restricted free agent in the offseason. Charlotte may have to move him at the deadline to get any value for him, or the team may have to use him as a sweeter in a trade that allows it to clear some of its bigger salaries and begin yet another rebuilding process."
Johnathan Tjarks compares Graham to P.J. Tucker as quality role players who can play defense and knock down open shots. That type of play is exactly what’s made Treveon so valuable to the Hornets this season. He went from an end of the bench player to being inserted into the regular rotation. Averaging career high’s across the board has probably spiked his trade value this season and could make him a target for a playoff team.
Still, I don’t think Graham is good/worth enough for another team to take on one of Marvin Williams‘ or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s contracts. Treveon is a favorite of Steve Clifford’s but with him being a restricted free agent at the end of the year, it could be tough for Charlotte to keep him going forward. Selling high on him now may be their best bet.
Cody Zeller talks recovery from recent knee injury (NBA.com)
"“It’s tough mentally because you’re away from the team, you’re doing a lot of lifting, conditioning. The games are the fun part and that’s what I’m missing out on. It’s tough mentally as well,” says Zeller."
Next: Rumor: Hornets interested in Mitch Kupchak for GM
Zeller missed over 20 games after having surgery on his left knee. Since returning, he’s been on a minutes restriction of only 7-8 minutes per half. Cody said that keeping his cardio up has been a “big deal” but it’s clear that the team is slowly working him back into the rotation while he builds back his cardio and returns to game shape. It was clearly tough for him to miss so many games with the knee injury.