Leading up to this year’s NBA trade deadline, the Hornets have been attached to numerous players around the league in various rumors. In most of those hypothetical situations, Charlotte is the one selling off assets, and the return of players is mostly an afterthought.
But even in selling, there are always players who must come back in trades, and there are plenty of players who make sense for a rebuilding Hornets team. Some are young players, who could be key cogs in a young core moving forward, some are veteran players who could possibly be re-traded for more assets, and some fall in that gray area in between.
A lot of these players are mostly just salary filler, or prospects, and may be used to facilitate deals that involve draft picks as much as anything. But still, there are players available in these deals that would make a lot of sense for the Hornets, and some other players who would be detrimental to the rebuild.
Some of these players have been directly connected to the Hornets in rumors, others just take a little bit of dot-connecting based on rumors, and some are downright speculation on my part. But all of these players are at least somewhat available and could be had for a price the Hornets could realistically pay (and in some cases be paid).
Here are eight potential trade targets for the Hornets, in the order that I would be most eager to acquire them. Let’s start with players I would consider a ‘no-brainer’ who I’d be excited to add to the roster, and end with ‘brain-dead’ moves for players I want nowhere near the team.