We are less than 90 minutes from the NBA's official trade deadline at 3 PM EST, and the Charlotte Hornets are not done making moves. The latest trade was just announced, with the Hornets sending Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick.
This is yet another masterful move from Jeff Peterson and Charlotte's front office. Just a little over 12 hours after dealing Mark Williams, the Hornets will now have their new starting center and more draft compensation to work with as well.
There had been plenty of rumors that the Hornets were looking to make more moves before the deadline officially hit. NBA insider Kevin O'Connor said earlier on Thursday that he had heard they were open to dealing Miles Bridges, Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic. In fact, he even hypothesized that they could work out a deal with the Suns to land Nurkic and a first, which is exactly what ended up transpiring.
The Hornets got another excellent return
Charlotte was clearly not afraid to shake things up ahead of the deadline, and they have now exchanged Mark Williams, Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a second-round pick for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, Jusuf Nurkic, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 first-round pick. All in all, that is an extremely solid return for what the Hornets dished out.
A few hours ago, much of the conversation about what Charlotte would do next had been revolving around the center position. With Mark Williams and Nick Richards both out of the picture, Moussa Diabate and Taj Gibson were the only remaining options for the Hornets at center. With one of those guys being on a two-way deal and the other being in the twilight of his career, it seemed as though a move was incoming.
Now, Nurkic will almost certainly be Charlotte's starting center for the remainder of the season. It feels likely that he will ultimately be a placeholder for the team while they figure out a more viable long-term option at the five, but time will tell. And in the meantime, Charles Lee and his staff can use the final two months of the regular season to figure out how best to incorporate all the new faces, while the front office determines who they see in their big picture plans.