Charles Lee explains where his focus is ahead of the NBA trading deadline

The Charlotte Hornets head coach is only worried about what he can control.

Jan 24, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee during the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline is just a handful of days away, and the Charlotte Hornets will almost certainly be active.

Last year, the Hornets acted as both buyers and sellers at the deadline despite being way out of playoff contention. It was more of a re-tooling of the roster than anything, shipping out an aging Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier who is no longer in his prime, and PJ Washington who was never going to be anything more than a perennial bench piece in the Queen City.

The Hornets find themselves in a similar position this year where they could move off of some veteran players while adding pieces who can play a key role now and in the future. They've already made one move by trading backup center Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns, but players like Miles Bridges, Cody Martin (if healthy), Seth Curry, Vasilije Micic, Taj Gibson, and Josh Green could all be on the table in trade discussions.

Jan 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Seth Curry (30) during pre game warm ups against the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Prior to Saturday's game against Denver, we tried to pry some information out of head coach Charles Lee, but as expected, he didn't tip his hand.

"I would say that the focus for us has just been our current group that we have," Lee said regarding his trade deadline discussions with Jeff Peterson. "A lot of our conversations just revolve around how are we getting better? Are we seeing growth from people? What are the areas that we want to continue to push and emphasize as we go through these next 37 games or whatever it is left. More of the conversations are just about our current team and evaluating them. We're really happy with the steps that we have made and the progress that we have seen in a lot of our players.

Jan 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Lee isn't one to necessarily give much info in terms of roster moves or hypotheticals, but the one thing I did take away from his answer is the development piece. Are they seeing enough growth from Josh Green, Mark Williams, and Nick Smith Jr.? You could maybe even throw Miles Bridges into that mix as well. But considering Lee talked Bridges up on Friday night, saying, "He's amazing, and we're lucky to have him. I am lucky to be able to coach him," it's safe to assume they want to move forward together.

Whether or not Lee wants to admit it, this roster has to change drastically if they want to create a bright future. Moves will be made; it's just a matter of how many deals get done.

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