The 2024 offseason has seen the Charlotte Hornets be relatively quiet on the trade front. They have chosen to serve as trade facilitators rather than acquire or unload key players.
However, by participating in the Klay Thompson blockbuster deal, they were able to land a possible starter in Josh Green. The front office also managed to snag two second-round picks in the process.
Charlotte again got involved in a mega-trade, ending up as a winner of the New York Knicks-Minnesota Timberwolves deal. The franchise received a haul of three second-round picks in exchange for being the Knicks' salary dumping ground.
3 Reasons the Hornets will be sellers in the trade market
When the regular season starts, though, the Hornets' strategy may change a bit. Still, the goal of stockpiling draft assets or prospects will likely remain the same.
Some might think that Charlotte should actually try to retain most of its roster, if not bolster it, in the following months. However, several reasons could motivate or compel the front office to ship out by the 2025 trade deadline any of its players, such as Miles Bridges, Nick Richards, Vasilije Micic, Cody Martin, Grant Williams, and Seth Curry.
Keeping the 2025 first-round draft pick is a must
Plenty of experts have deemed the 2024 draft class as one of the weakest in recent memory. However, the crop of rookies entering next year has many aspiring stars and promising prospects. It's essential, then, for the Hornets to find ways to keep their first-round pick in 2025 in their arsenal, even if it entails bottoming out this coming season.
The San Antonio Spurs currently own it after having passed through the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks in previous trades. Fortunately for Charlotte, it is lottery-protected, so the team can retain it and hand over two second-round picks instead if it misses the 2025 playoffs. Such a scenario would give it a chance to land a possible game-changing talent.
Cooper Flagg appears to be the prized pick of next year's draft, as the forward is a generational talent. He could also slot in perfectly with the franchise's core nucleus. There are also several consolation prizes that could fill some of Charlotte's needs, including forward Ace Bailey and swingmen VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, and Drake Powell.
The timeline of any of those incoming rookies aligns perfectly with the Hornets' foundational players. The same cannot be said about Charlotte's older players, which would make them expendable if that means allowing the team to fulfill its long-term goal.