Grading what the Hornets did at the NBA trade deadline
By Ben Handler
Overall Grade: A-
Based on the lows of the last few seasons of Hornets basketball, this trade season has been a breath of fresh air. If nothing else, the team has clarity and direction, which hasn’t really been present in a while.
They’ve taken the proper course of action, initiating a complete teardown and rebuild. Brandon Miller has proven that he’s worth building around, and all of the moves the team has made go hand in hand with that realization.
All told, the Hornets excised Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington, James Bouknight (who has already been waived), and two second-round picks while bringing in Kyle Lowry, Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, two 2027 first-round picks, and two future second-round picks.
That’s just an awesome bit of business by the Hornets and a very promising start to the rebuild. They did everything I wanted, by adding draft capital - including a couple of very appetizing firsts, taking fliers on young players, and clearing out room for the young players to be the clear focal points of the team.
The on-court product may be ugly for a bit, but it’s not like it’s been good. Now there is a clear path forward, and Hornets fans can sit back and enjoy the ride. And along with rooting for the Hornets, we get to root for whoever is playing the Mavericks and Heat for a few years.