It was back at the end of June when the Charlotte Hornets made a trade with the Utah Jazz and acquired Collin Sexton along with a second-round draft pick in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic. As we look back on this deal, it's easy to see why fans are still wondering how on earth Jeff Peterson managed to pull this off.
The Hornets only sent out one player in Nurkic, getting back Sexton plus a 2030 second-round pick. I think most fans in Charlotte were probably looking at these trade details wondering where the rest of the deal was, because that's an absolutely fantastic move.
Over the course of the second half of this past season, it wasn't like Nurkic was some game-breaking player in Charlotte. He was fine, but didn't perform nearly well enough to be considered a needle-moving trade piece.
Nurkic is older at this point, and while he provided value as a veteran backup big, he didn't carry nearly the same kind of value that Sexton does. Collin's abilities to create offense and score on the perimeter should have been seen as far more valuable on the trade market from an unbiased perspective.
The Hornets got exactly what they needed in Sexton — for cheap
And it's not just the realistic understanding that Sexton is a more valuable player than Nurkic right now, it's also the fact that the Hornets basically needed exactly what he brings to the table. Charlotte's offense was dreadful at times last year, largely due to injuries and depleted depth in the backcourt. Collin will be a big help this coming season in that department.
Sexton is going to be yet another ball-handler on this roster that can take some of the weight off of LaMelo Ball's shoulders and keep the Hornets' scoring attack afloat when he's off the court. Some might argue players like Sexton and Tre Mann create overlap, but I'd argue that's a good thing for a team that had this kind of need for offensive creators.
Of course, plenty are going to look at the roster now and see a need at the center position. But was Nurkic ever really some type of long-term solution? I don't think so. I think he was more of a temporary piece that Charlotte was happy to keep around for a little bit while they tested out certain things and got a better idea of what they needed for next season. He was never a permanent fixture in reality.
At the end of the day, front offices around the league would have lined up around the block for a chance at this kind of acquisition. The Hornets freed themselves from the expense, potential defensive limitations and mismatches that Nurkic would have presented in various situations, all while getting back a veteran, proven scorer. I think it's not a stretch at all to say this was one of the best moves any team in this league made all offseason.