The Charlotte Hornets carried out several nifty moves this summer to level up their roster. At first glance, letting go of Mark Williams could have a negative impact on the roster's talent level. However, it netted a package of Liam McNeeley, a 2029 first-round pick, and Vasilije Micic, whom they were able to flip for Pat Connaughton and two second-rounders.
As impressive as the haul is, not a lot of fans appear to believe that the deal with the Suns was Charlotte's best move this offseason. James Plowright of CLTre.org recently conducted a Hornets fan survey, and 55.9 percent of the nearly 600 respondents answered that swapping Jusuf Nurkic for Collin Sexton and draft compensation was the organization's savviest decision this summer. Coming in second with 17.4 percent was taking Kon Knueppel with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft
Only 13.0 percent voted for the trade headlined by Williams and McNeeley.
It's tough to contest the results, though, as some people around the league are still astonished that the Hornets were able to pull off the heist against the Danny Ainge-led Jazz. Meanwhile, the addition of Knueppel has been seen as more than merely a silver lining for the squad missing out on Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper. The rookie swingman looks like a seamless fit in Buzz City because of his potential contributions on and off the court.
Still, the fact that the trade with Phoenix did not attract more votes in the survey shows that it could be Charlotte's most underrated move of the 2025 offseason.
Mark Williams-Liam McNeeley swap could be the signature move of Hornets' summer
It's easy to forget that Charlotte had to face the possibility of Williams losing some trade value after the Los Angeles Lakers failed his physical and aborted their acquisition of the former Hornet last season. So, landing essentially two late first-round picks and two second-round selections for the oft-injured big man feels like quite a coup for Charlotte.
McNeeley also exhibited in Summer League why the Hive was fortunate that he fell all the way to the No. 29 slot in the draft despite seemingly possessing lottery pick-level talent. It was unfortunate that the youngster couldn't showcase his game more because of injury, but he had already displayed enough to inspire optimism throughout the fan base in his two appearances in Las Vegas. Securing three more draft assets is only the icing on the cake for the Hornets.
We cannot discount the value Charlotte got in the Sexton deal. However, the combo guard might turn out to be a one-year rental. Also, Knueppel has the tools to develop into a star in Charlotte, but bringing him in at the fourth spot in the draft may have been a no-brainer decision, considering the prospects who were still available when the team was on the clock.
Having said all that, the Williams trade could be the 2025 offseason move Hornets fans would look back on with most fondness a few years from now.