Should the Hornets try to trade Vasilije Micic after poor preseason showing?

The veteran point guard has struggled in this years preseason

Albert Bottcher | Oct 22, 2024

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets wrapped up their preseason with a loss against the Pacers. Despite the disappointing finish, large parts of the roster were able to show a lot of promise heading into the regular season. One of the few negative exceptions has been point guard Vasilije Micic.

The Serb's name had been thrown around in trade rumors all summer, which mostly saw him heading to the Nuggets and reuniting with fellow countryman Nikola Jokic. Let's take a look at Micic's recent performances and decide if the Hornets should indulge in any offers.

Preseason averages in four games: 4.3 PTS | 1.8 RBS | 3 AS | 3.5 TO | 16.7% 3PT

The preseason started fine for Micic. Coming fresh off of an Olympic bronze medal with Serbia, he posted a solid outing against the Knicks in 17 minutes (8pt, 3rb, 5as). Then came an abysmal performance versus Miami. In only three minutes, he committed four turnovers and amassed a plus-minus of -16. Since that disaster, he's played two more games, with four turnovers to his name in each of those.

The concern does not only stem from the number of turnovers, it also comes from the carelessness he displays while producing them. Micic is supposed to bring a veteran presence and calm to the Hornets on and off the court, seeing him throw the ball away half-hazardly a number of times does not represent those qualities. You can watch all of the turnovers for yourself RIGHT HERE.

Another big issue has been the 30-year-old's jump shot. Micic was never an expert marksman, but his six triple tries in preseason action have looked very off. The five that missed were all way overshot and even the one that found its way through the net hit the front rim and the backboard before doing so. Again, you can take a look at all of the shots RIGHT HERE.

Should the Hornets look to trade Micic?

Hornets fans should not read too much into a few preseason games. And if Jeff Petersons phone rings tomorrow, it would be unwise of him to trade Micic just for the sake of getting rid of him. But the former Thunder player has already used up quite a bit of the credit he had earned last season.

Should his lackluster play continue through the next few weeks, the Hornets would be wise to check if Denver is still interested in a deal. In addition to Jokic being close friends with Micic, the Nuggets could also use another point guard to back up the injury-prone duo of Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook.

But there's also the possibility that those preseason performances were just a little funk, and Micic manages to step it up as soon as the regular season starts. In that case, Charlotte should hold on to him. Not only does he have a ton of experience that he can pass on to the young core of the team, but he has also already proven that he can be an NBA-level player.

Preseason averages in four games: 4.3 PTS | 1.8 RBS | 3 AS | 3.5 TO | 16.7% 3PT

Should the Hornets look to trade Micic?

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