Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Hornets named as potential Rockets trade suitor
One team that has been named as a potential trade partner with the Houston Rockets is none other than the Charlotte Hornets, who will be looking to upgrade the roster prior to free agency.
I am expecting the Charlotte Hornets to be very aggressive on the trade front over the next month or so, and we already have news that confirms that thought.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Hornets, along with the Celtics, Mavericks and Magic, have all been linked as potential trade candidates for the Rockets. Houston has recently made the majority of their roster available for trade after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
The Rockets are aggressively shopping three players in particular — Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Clint Capela. Paul will be tough to move due to his bloated contract, but Gordon and Capela will certainly draw significant interest around the association.
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In a separate tweet, Kyler notes that Houston will be looking for a first round draft pick along with a proven veteran player in a potential trade. Charlotte has the 12th overall pick in next month’s draft as a trade chip, along with some expiring contracts.
It appears that Houston will be making some major changes to the roster after their most recent playoff elimination. It’s sad to think that their title window may have shut this year, considering they were one win away from the NBA Finals last season, and could have easily gotten to that point if Paul didn’t injure his hamstring.
While Gordon would be a solid addition to any team thanks to his lethal three-point shooting, Capela should be the guy the Hornets should be trying to pry away from Houston. The 25 year old center is exactly what Charlotte needs and would be a perfect fit.
Like I mentioned before, both Gordon and Capela will be drawing a ton of interest, and Charlotte may not be able to come up with the best trade package. That shouldn’t stop them from aggressively pursuing a trade, though.
It’s clear that the Hornets are determined to re-sign Kemba Walker once free agency opens on June 30th. Keeping Walker means that the team is committed to winning right now, so they will do their best to surround him with better talent. Adding a guy like Capela would be a MASSIVE addition.
Charlotte will be able to offer Walker a five-year, $221 million supermax contract extension.
Right now, this is all just rumors, but a potential Hornets/Rockets trade could work for both sides. It will be interesting to see if anything progresses over the next few weeks.
Next. Stretch provision a possibility for Bismack Biyombo. dark
You can expect the rumor mill to keep heating up now that the NBA season is (sadly) almost over. The Charlotte Hornets are certainly one of the more intriguing teams to keep an eye on throughout the summer.