Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Bucks tried to trade for Frank Kaminsky at deadline
Prior to the trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks attempted to trade for Charlotte Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky, but were turned down.
Remember that trade deadline where the Charlotte Hornets were thought to be one of the more active teams in the trade market but ended up making zero moves? Yeah, me too.
Aside from almost landing Marc Gasol from Memphis, the Hornets may have also nearly had a deal done with Milwaukee. According to Sean Deveney of SportingNews, the Bucks made an offer for a disgruntled Frank Kaminsky before the trade deadline, but the Hornets declined the offer. Milwaukee would eventually go on to trade for Nikola Mirotic instead.
Prior to the trade deadline, Kaminsky was wasting away on the bench and compiled multiple DNP-CD’s. Kaminsky himself made it clear that he was unhappy with his role, and at that point in time, it seemed like a trade was bound to happen for Frank the Tank.
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Instead, the Hornets opted to keep Kaminsky past the trade deadline, and let him get some legit playing time during the second half of the season. Kaminsky would then make a big impact coming off of Charlotte’s bench, and played a big part in Charlotte’s playoff quest.
In the end, the Hornets missed the playoffs by just one game, but it was a bit of a resurgence from Kaminsky. His play may have even put him in Charlotte’s future plans, and I’m sure numerous other teams around the league also took note of his play.
Charlotte and Milwaukee not making the trade may have actually worked out for both sides, if you think about it. The Hornets were able to insert Kaminsky into the rotation and he played extremely well, while the Bucks were able to snag a better player in Mirotic, who played a key role up until their Eastern Conference Finals series against Toronto.
Kaminsky averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Hornets during the 2018-19 season. He also shot 36 percent from three-point land. His ability to stretch the floor and hit shots from the perimeter is his best skill.
If the Hornets did trade Kaminsky to Milwaukee, or any other team at the deadline, they likely would have gotten a small return. However, it’s better than losing him for nothing. We’ll see what the Hornets decide to do with him over the summer, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Milwaukee target him as a lower-tier free agent, especially if they lose Brook Lopez.
Remember, Kaminsky played four years of college basketball at Wisconsin, and maintains a strong relationship with the area to this day. Not only would he be a good fit on the Bucks roster, but he’d also be a good fit in the community.
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It’s been an up-and-down four years for Frank Kaminsky and the Charlotte Hornets. He’ll be a restricted free agent this off-season, and it remains to be seen if his days in a Hornets jersey will continue or not. The former ninth overall pick seems to be generating some interest from other teams, though.