Where the Charlotte Hornets-Los Angeles Lakers drama goes from here remains to be seen. Adam Silver has spoken up about it, clarifying that the Hornets have yet to file a protest despite reports that the team has contacted the league office to dispute the failed Mark Williams trade.
It's unclear if Charlotte will push through with its purported plan despite having some reasons to do so. For one, the 2031 unprotected first-round pick, as well as the right to swap picks in 2030, it would have gotten from the Lakers could have helped its rebuild. In addition, the Hornets could be trying to protect Williams, whose value might have taken a colossal dip following the reversal of the deal.
An argument can be made that they might have been looking forward to adding Dalton Knecht to the crew. However, the Hornets are arguably better off not getting the promising rookie because his inadequate defensive abilities would have made him a problematic fit with their core pieces, regardless of his offensive prowess.
Cam Reddish would have been an intriguing addition to Charlotte
Most of the attention regarding Los Angeles' supposed package has been on Knecht and the draft assets, so some folks might have forgotten that Cam Reddish was also a part of the deal.
The 25-year-old forward was likely added to the package to match salaries. We didn't get to see what the Hornets had planned for him. There was a belief that they could have waived him or rerouted him somewhere else. Conversely, he could have been a solid addition to the team, owing to his still-unrealized potential as a two-way player.
What many may have forgotten, though, is that Reddish rose all the way to No. 10 in the 2019 draft primarily because of his raw talent on both ends of the court.
On Saturday, the Duke University product posted a video of himself dominating his one-on-one matchups against some of his current and former Lakers teammates, including D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, and Christian Koloko. He showcased handles that allowed him to drive to the hole with relative ease and a fluid jumper that let him sink shots over the outstretched arms of his defenders. A repost of the video on X has been viewed nearly two million times, as of this writing.
Of course, that doesn't assure that Reddish can bust out those moves in NBA contests and be an effective isolation scorer. But it would have been nice if the Hornets had a player with that kind of skill set who could also be at least decent in covering opposing perimeter players. He probably could have been more than just a 3-and-D piece for Charlotte.
Perhaps it's worth exploring acquiring Reddish again in the offseason, as he is set to become a free agent. Re-signing with Los Angeles might not be in his best interest after the organization shipped him out. He reportedly hasn't even returned to the team yet, although that's likely because his family has just welcomed a baby girl into the world.