Intriguing mock trade idea sends Pat Connaughton to the Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets could look to improve its shooting in the near future.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Cody Martin is and has been one of the best defensive players on the Charlotte Hornets' roster since the day he started getting serious minutes at the NBA level.

You can get excited about his on-ball defense and the value he brings on that end of the floor, but the one big caveat is his ability to stay healthy. He missed a good chunk of the past two seasons, 101 games in total to be exact, to quad and knee injuries.

He's a near-perfect fit for Charles Lee's style of play but doesn't shoot the ball from the perimeter at a high enough clip, sitting at just 31.7% for his career. As time goes on, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the Hornets continue to upgrade its shooting, even if it means parting ways with defensive-minded players such as Martin.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report recently threw together a mock trade between Charlotte and Milwaukee that caught my attention.

The proposed trade

Bucks Receive: Cody Martin, 2025 second-round pick (least favorable from Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia).

Hornets Receive: Pat Connaughton, 2031 second-round pick.

Favale's reasoning for the mock trade

"Connaughton is a real rotation player for Milwaukee, so losing him could sting. Especially if Martin winds up back on the shelf. But the latter offers more defensive range, and Connaughton isn't nearly a consistent enough shooter to paint this as a floor-shrinking swap.

"Martin offers financial optionality moving forward to boot. His $8.6 million salary for 2025-26 is non-guaranteed, while Connaughton holds a $9.4 million player option.

"Figuring out compensation for Charlotte is complicated. Peak Connaughton is a tenacious floor-runner who works alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, but the Hornets have enough not-quite-wings on the roster.

"Getting Milwaukee's 2031 second should effectively grease the wheels, but that's a tall order from the Bucks' end. Sending a back-end second-rounder in next year's draft to the Deer District feels like it bridges that gap."

My two cents

As I've stated before in previous articles, the Hornets aren't going to be making any significant deals anytime soon. But this could certainly be something that's worth considering down the road. It's not a trade that will break the bank or mortgage the future in terms of assets. Plus, it's an opportunity to move on from an injury-prone player in Martin.

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