Grading Hornets trade deadline targets from no-brainer to brain-dead

Josh Giddey - Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder (Completely brain-dead)

This would be about as colossally brain-dead of a decision as any franchise could make. Giddey is a fine young player on the court, who seems to be the most available young player on the Thunder team with value. 

He could provide some nice playmaking and scoring, despite not being a great shooter. He’s an excellent passer and has a high basketball IQ. At just 21 years old, and still on his rookie deal, this would seem like a pretty nice addition for the young rebuilding Hornets.

But the problem here is the off-court optics that come along with Giddey. He’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons this year, as he was alleged to have an inappropriate relationship with a minor. While police were not able to corroborate any evidence, and Giddey was cleared legally, the league is still investigating the situation.

Even if Giddey is ultimately cleared and goes unpunished, the Hornets are the last team in the NBA that can afford this PR hit right now. The Miles Bridges situation was ugly enough and that may never go away. Adding another troubled player in Giddey, who has been hellaciously booed every time he touches the ball in multiple arenas this season, would indicate that the front office is completely tone-deaf and out of touch with fans, public sentiment, and frankly reality in general.

The Hornets need every fan and supporter they can get, and regardless of what they may think of the basketball player, adding Josh Giddey is not going to do the team any favors from a public perception standpoint. The vibes have been pretty good lately - thanks to Brandon Miller. This would be a massive step in the wrong direction.