The Charlotte Hornets drafted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2018, but quickly traded him to LA. They may regret making this trade in the future.
There’s nothing better than playoff basketball, and Charlotte Hornets fans sure wish their team was in on the action. The play of Los Angeles Clippers rookie and former Hornets draft pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has added salt to the wound, though.
Golden State eliminated the Clippers in six games on Friday night, but it was a hard fought series. Gilgeous-Alexander made a name for himself big time, as he was easily one of the Clippers’ best players during the playoff run.
SGA, as some people call him, averaged an impressive 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his first bite of playoff basketball. He also shot an efficient 47 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range.
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Charlotte selected Gilgeous-Alexander 11th overall in last years draft, but traded him to the Clippers in exchange for Miles Bridges and two future second round draft picks.
His play this postseason has got to aggravate some Charlotte Hornets fans. While I do think this was a win-win trade for both sides, I strongly believe Gilgeous-Alexander has star upside and could be one of the better point guards in the league one day.
Plus, with Kemba Walker potentially leaving the Hornets in free agency, Gilgeous-Alexander would have been the perfect replacement. You could even plug him in at the two-guard spot, or even the small forward spot.
With all of that being said, I do want to give credit to Miles Bridges. I think that he has a chance to be a very good player, but I don’t think he will ever be a star. He did show a lot of signs at the end of the season, though, and that’s a positive development for the Hornets.
He has a chance to be an elite perimeter defender, and his athletic ability is jaw dropping. His jumper is slowly coming along, and he improved a lot as a playmaker as well during his rookie year.
Bridges closed the season strong, but Gilgeous-Alexander was pretty consistent throughout the entire season, and then took his game to another level in the playoffs. Here’s a look at their regular season statistics:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Regular Season: 10.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 48% FG, 37% 3PT.
— Zack Padmore (@ZP12Hoops) April 28, 2019
Miles Bridges Regular Season: 7.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 46% FG, 33% 3PT.
He’s a very talented player and fits in nicely with this Hornets team. Still, you can’t help but think about the future with Gilgeous-Alexander running the show instead.
I truly believe that both teams are satisfied with this trade a year later. Charlotte got the guy they wanted in Bridges and were able to acquire some assets in the process. Los Angeles, despite getting rid of two future second round picks, has to be happy with the play of their future star.
If I was the General Manager of the Hornets, though, I would have held on to Gilgeous-Alexander during the 2018 NBA Draft. He has such great size, length and feel for the game. I can’t wait to see him in the future.
The 2019 NBA Draft is fast approaching, and it will be interesting to see if the team targets a point guard this year. The only point guard I see in Gilgeous-Alexander’s realm would be Ja Morant, but he’ll be tough to nab unless the team decides to trade up for him.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Miles Bridges are both exciting prospects, and since they were traded for each other, they’ll be compared for their entire careers, despite the fact that they play different positions on the court.
Right now, I think that Gilgeous-Alexander would have been the right pick for the Charlotte Hornets.