The Charlotte Hornets have finally begun their long awaited selloff ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, and now they must continue to lean into that decision by finishing the job.
Charlotte sent Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a future first-round draft selection. The Hornets are not expected to have Lowry play a single minute for the organization, as they are looking to move him before Febraury 8th. Step one being trading Rozier was successful and step two's imminent completion of flipping Lowry is also a wise move, but there is still work to do.
Gordon Hayward has been discussed as a trade option for contending teams long before this season began. Hayward is entering the final year of his contract, making him even more appealing to contenders who are looking to round out their roster ahead of their playoff push. Charlotte could look to take on the salary of player who may not fit with a contending team in order to acquire more draft capital, a possibility that was mentioned by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Hornets will become a team that can take on contracts for draft assets with their cap space too. With so many franchises facing second apron implications, there will be no shortage of teams needing to incentivize deals with draft picks to get off money. https://t.co/yYZdpBpJks
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
Another player that could and should be moved ahead of the rapidly approaching NBA Trade Deadline is Miles Bridges. Bridges is a talented player but there have been multiple issues off the court which has impacted his career on it, resulting in his return to Charlotte on a one-year deal. It would not be surprising to see a team want to get an up close and personal look at Bridges over the season's final stretch to see if they want to extend his time in a new city after the year is up.
The top priority for the Hornets until the deadline is continue their roster churn of players who will not be here when they are competitive again. It is going to be a few years before competitive basketball returns to Charlotte. Working to acquire picks to either draft a player or trade for one at a later date is the best way to build this roster up to a level of competitiveness that will get this team out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. They have begun that process and now it is time to complete it.