Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets select Kevin Knox in post-trade deadline mock draft, Cavs didn’t offer Nets’ pick for Kemba
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Ben Simmons is pretty frustrated about being passed over for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game as Kemba Walker was selected as an injury replacement over him. (Yahoo Sports) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who the Charlotte Hornets take in the latest mock draft, what the Cleveland Cavaliers offered for Kemba Walker and the Greensboro Swarm’s loss to the Lakeland Magic.
Hornets select Kevin Knox in latest mock draft (BleacherReport.com)
"The Hornets lack upside at both forward positions, and though Knox won’t compete for Rookie of the Year, the 18-year-old, 14.9-point scorer will be an enticing long-term play. He’s showcased his athleticism attacking the basket, fuel intrigue and optimism."
Knox is 6’9 and has shown the ability to play at both forward positions. He would give Charlotte added depth either at small forward or power forward and eventually could replace Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Marvin Williams in the starting lineup. Although he has potential, the Hornets may be hesitant to pick another first-year player out of Kentucky after Malik Monk has seen minimal playing time during his rookie season this year.
Unless Charlotte tanks to get into the top-10, their pick will most likely be in the lottery anywhere from 11-14. If they did get into the top-10, Michigan St. forward Miles Bridges could become an option. If I had to choose between Knox and Bridges, I would go with Bridges who is more NBA-ready and was projected to be a lottery pick if he would’ve come out last year.
Cavs’ trade offer for Kemba didn’t include Nets’ pick (Twitter/ @ESPNCleveland)
"“The Cavs were absolutely talking about getting Kemba Walker. The deal that they made with the Lakers was probably close to the package that they were offering for Kemba. The Hornets wanted the Cavs to include the BKN pick or take on more money.” – Brian Windhorst"
If this is true, then the Cavaliers seriously lowballed the Hornets. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Cleveland tried to trade a package of Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and the Cavs’ first-round pick (or a package very close to that) in exchange for Kemba Walker and probably one other player. Without the Nets’ pick, Charlotte was never going to make that deal. It was even less likely to happen if Cleveland was unwilling to take on one of the Hornets’ larger contracts like Nicolas Batum.
After Charlotte rejected Cleveland’s offer, the Cavs decided to make a number of smaller moves to acquire George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson. It seems like the Cavaliers were unwilling to go all-out and risk their top future asset in order to get a two-time all-star point guard. Walker could’ve been a good fit alongside LeBron James but with the strong stance Michael Jordan was taking, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Cavs to get a deal done.
Greensboro Swarm fall to the Lakeland Magic (Gleague.NBA.com)
"The Greensboro Swarm fell in front of its fourth sold out crowd of the season when the Lakeland Magic rallied late for a 120-116 victory at the Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The back-and-forth affair came down to a thrilling fourth quarter where the Magic outscored the Swarm, 33-25."
Next: Rumor: Hornets interested in Mitch Kupchak
With the loss, Greensboro falls to just 11-23 on the season which is tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. One bright spot for the Swarm was Damien Wilkins who scored a team-high 28 points. Since returning to the Hornets’ G-League affiliate, the 38-year old has been their best player.