There’s no drama brewing inside the Charlotte Hornets’ locker room, if Ryan Kalkbrenner is to be believed. Given the harmony among the players and the way the team has performed in the past month or so, it’s safe to assume that the Hornets aren’t planning to do anything drastic during this year’s trade season.
Kalkbrenner recently appeared on Run It Back, where he discussed how fun it has been to play with LaMelo Ball amid the outside noise. The rookie center also said that the locker room has been “great.” He added, “It just feels like we're so close to being a good team sometimes, and if we keep this together, I think we can make it.”
So, if Kalkbrenner had his way, he would likely want the roster to stay as is beyond the trade deadline.
Such a scenario would be an interesting change of pace for them after a busy trade deadline in the past two seasons. Last year saw them figure in the Mark Williams back-and-forth and acquire draft capital in exchange for expendable veterans. Meanwhile, the Hornets swapped Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington for several key assets in 2024.
No deal for the Hornets?
Earlier in this campaign, there have been calls for Charlotte to break up the band by moving on from LaMelo Ball and building around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. It appears that option has been thrown out the window — for this campaign, at least, with the team doing so well whenever those three play together.
Some Hornets players have still been linked to trade discussions. For instance, Miles Bridges has reportedly drawn the interest of the Milwaukee Bucks, who could show enough desperation in the coming weeks to provide Giannis Antetokounmpo with reinforcements. Collin Sexton has also been brought up as a possible target for a few contenders, and he might be Charlotte’s best bet to land an impactful player or more draft capital.
It remains to be seen if the front office will make a move or stand pat. Jeff Peterson has to make sure that any deal they push through is worth the risk of possibly disrupting the chemistry they have finally begun to establish. Notably, the roster has glaring holes that have to be filled, and the best way to address them is by being active in the trade market.
Still, based on what we heard from Kalkbrenner, the Hornets are unlikely to make a major splash in February. Perhaps there will be some incremental roster improvements here and there, but the foundation is expected to remain largely the same.