It was a busy trade season in Charlotte, one that marked a dramatic shift in strategy from the Hornets as an organization. It was the first deadline for the new ownership group, and reports indicate they were leading the decisions.
The moves made, and not made, show that the team is finally embracing a full teardown. Hitting the reset button has been the correct move for years, and although it would have been better to realize this and act accordingly years ago, I guess it’s better late than never.
At this point, it’s only fair to grade the moves in a vacuum, and not lament past actions and inactions. The new owners have made it clear that things are different now and they can’t go back and change past moves made by a previous regime.
With that in mind, here is my report card and final grade for the Hornets trades at the deadline and the big one that didn’t happen.
Move #1:
Grade: A-
Although this obviously happened several weeks before the deadline it was still a huge part of the plan and execution by the new braintrust in Charlotte. The trade seemed like a good one at the time, and now it seems even better after seeing the lack of first-round picks that ended up being dealt.
It’s safe to say the Hornets got very fair value for Terry, who has struggled in his early days in Miami. While Terry was a beloved Hornet, he had several years left on a fairly large contract and was blocking the path to development for younger players.
Getting a first-round pick to solve that problem was a massive win, and paved the way for the rest of their moves. If they could have found a way to move Lowry for something else then I would have bumped this deal up to an ‘A’ grade, but it was still a great deal and an excellent first move for the start of what will be a long process.
Move #2: NOT trading Miles Bridges
Grade: B
It’s hard to judge the Hornets negatively on this non-move considering Bridges ultimately held the power in the decision. We may never know how actively the team was shopping him, and what they may have been willing to accept.
Bridges, through his agent Rich Paul, announced that he intended to use his veto power to put the kibosh on any trade he was involved in. A trade would have made very little sense for Bridges from a financial perspective, and he’s been putting up huge numbers lately.
Staying in Charlotte will offer him the chance to keep proving his value on the floor while allowing for the Hornets to either sign and trade him or re-sign him themselves this offseason. Either way, barring more punitive actions against Bridges for his off-court actions, he will be signed to a multi-year contract.
Even though the Hornets may not have had much say in the matter, this is still probably good for them. They get to hang on to the asset and likely move Bridges to an enhanced market, filled with more teams with more assets available to deal.
If the Hornets can end up getting a first-round pick for Bridges at some point, then this would be a big win for the team, as it sounded like the best offers out there involved only second-rounders and salary matching; a tough pill to swallow considering how well Bridges has played this season.
Move #3:
Grade: A-
It remains to be seen exactly how these draft picks will be conveyed to the Hornets, but regardless, I’m ecstatic about getting anything at all for Hayward. I had accepted that no team would be willing to make a move for the oft-injured Hayward, in the last year of a $31.5 million contract.
So I was thrilled to see that the Thunder were willing to trade for the 33-year-old who hasn’t played since December 26th with a calf issue. Perhaps Hayward has been healthy enough to play, and choosing not to, but that’s neither here nor there.
This seemed like it was heading for a situation where the Hornets would be faced with the choice of losing Hayward for nothing or being forced to re-sign him to a deal that could potentially eat up the books for several more years while he watches from the bench.
The Hayward experiment was a complete failure and letting him expire for nothing would’ve been the cherry on top. He had no more utility to the Hornets, so getting something back was already a win.
Hopefully, at least one of the second-round picks has some decent value potential and can be another asset for the Hornets to work with. Bertans is just a matching salary at this point in his career. His contract isn’t guaranteed for next season, so the team can let him go, or keep him on the books to potentially use in another deal next season.
Mann is an interesting prospect. The 6’3” point guard is an outstanding shooter and can, at least, take over the backup duties from Ish Smith. He just turned 23, and just hasn’t had a runway to develop on a suddenly good and deep Thunder squad.
There’s a chance that Mann can carve out a major role and become a real part of the rotation. The Hornets get to see how he looks the rest of this season with a change of scenery, then can exercise a team option to keep him this offseason for $4.9 million, let him walk, or re-sign him. He’s the perfect kind of young player to take a cheap, no-risk flier on.
Vasilije Micic is a useful guard with decent size. The 30-year-old Serbian, in his first year in the NBA, is a former Euro League MVP and has shown glimpses of his prowess for the Thunder. He could be a steadying presence for the Hornets offense, as a great passer, and somebody who can run a lot of pick and roll.
In the first year of a very reasonable 3-year, $26.5 million deal, Micic could also have a ton of appeal to contenders down the road. That should be a deal that’s easy to move, and the Hornets will likely have a chance to flip him for more assets in the next couple of years.
None of the assets returning to Charlotte in this deal are major needle-movers, and it may end up proving to be a hodgepodge of ‘meh’, but it’s hard to overstate how much I like the idea of this deal, and being able to get anything out of the terrible Hayward contract.
Move #4
Grade: A
This deal is just a home run for the Hornets and one I find very questionable for the Mavericks. First of all, I’m not even sure how much of an upgrade Washington is over Williams. Grant has had a very tough go of it for Dallas this season, but he has proven to be a playoff performer and a very solid defensive player.
The Charlotte native should be able to help shift the defensive identity of the Hornets, and despite being undersized, he should be a nice upgrade over P.J. on that end of the court. He definitely doesn’t have the same offensive package as Washington, but he may be better suited to fill the low-usage role.
Grant has been a knockdown three-point shooter at times, especially from the corners, and has shown glimpses of some playmaking ability as a short-roller. If Williams can focus on being a low-usage, high-efficiency offensive player, ceding creation duties to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, and focus on being a defensive anchor, then he may end up fitting much better for the future of this Hornets team.
He’s also slightly younger than Washington and will make a little less per year while being under team control for a season longer. For better or worse, Williams will also bring an edge and a boisterous personality to the team. He’s not at all afraid to mix it up, and that’s a trait the Hornets have been lacking.
Seth Curry, another Charlotte native coming home is a feel-good story, especially with his father Dell, currently the team’s color commentator. It’s not clear how long Curry will stay with the team, as he’s in his 30s, and may welcome a buyout and a chance to join a contender.
A more fun scenario would be for Curry to play out the season as a fan favorite in Charlotte, offering some veteran leadership for the kids, and hitting some threes along the way. After that, Curry has one year left for just $4 million, so the Hornets could possibly flip him to a shooting-needy team at next year’s deadline.
But the best part of this deal for the Hornets is acquiring the Mavs 2027 first-round pick, protected only for the top 2 selections. Dallas has struggled to build a contender around MVP-candidate, Luka Doncic, and there’s no telling what the team may look like by 2027, or if Doncic will even still be there. This pick is a very attractive asset that may end up looking even better as the years go on.
We’ll wait and see on the second-round picks headed back to Dallas, but hopefully, they are protected in a way that they are unlikely to ever convey. Even if not the marginal downgrade from Washington to Williams and the addition of an intriguing first-round pick make this an outstanding trade for the Hornets.
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.