Hornets land big man and bench player in hypothetical trade
Could the Charlotte Hornets swing a deal to land a new starting center? A hypothetical trade involving the Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers appearing on King James Gospel has the two sides agreeing to a trade that would benefit both sides fairly equally.
The proposed hypothetical trade
Hornets receive: Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro
Cavaliers receive P.J. Washington, Gordon Hayward, 2024 second-round pick via Boston, 2025 first-round pick Top 5 protected
The Hornets would be getting a solid center in Jarrett Allen in this deal. Allen could provide Charlotte with the same service he did Cleveland by being an instant upgrade defensively while also being a target near the basket. The 25-year-old big man has a limited ceiling but he is a clear floor-raiser that has shown to be an asset to a team on the rise. Cleveland’s motivation to move Allen is solely rooted in moving Evan Mobley to the center position to create more space offensively. Charlotte does not have the same spacing issues that Cleveland does which is why acquiring Allen would be an intriguing proposition.
As far as Isaac Okoro is concerned, his offense is yet to come together but his defense has been stellar since coming into the league. With the Hornets needing defensive upgrades, adding Okoro to their already impressive young group could help them get to that next level that they are looking for. Ideally, Okoro would come off the bench for Charlotte, that is unless Steve Clifford opts to start him over rookie Brandon Miller, which is a very real possibility considering Clifford’s previous track record when it comes to rookies.
It would be less than ideal to give up a first-round draft pick, but considering that Boston should continue to make deep playoff runs and as author Caleb Crawley points out, it would allow the Hornets to move the remaining $31.5 million owed to Gordon Hayward for the upcoming season. Hayward’s time in Charlotte has not gone to plan up to this point and parting ways would be beneficial to both sides.
The inclusion of P.J. Washington is an interesting prospect. Washington was solid in his fourth NBA season but remains unsigned as he is a restricted free agent. The market has failed to develop for him and he could ultimately return to Charlotte if he accepts the Hornets’ $8.5 million qualifying offer. Considering that the NBA free agent period is this far along and Washington still seems interested in other opportunities, shipping him to Cleveland would bring an end to a saga that has drawn on for far too long.
Would the Hornets actually accept this proposed hypothetical deal? That’s tough to say. However, if anything resembling this trade would come their way from Cleveland it is at least worth some serious consideration. Getting two players with experience in a situation very similar to the one in Charlotte could prove to be quite valuable to their immediate future.
