Three-Team Mock Trade Sends Julius Randle to Charlotte Hornets

Should the Hornets swing a big deal to land an All-Star caliber player?

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Although most of the big offseason moves have already been made, you'll occasionally see a blockbuster deal right before the start of the season. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has stirred up the idea of a three-team trade involving the Charlotte Hornets. Below you'll find the details of the mock trade along with his analysis and my reaction to what has been laid out.

Charlotte Hornets receive:

Julius Randle (from NYK)
Jericho Sims (from NYK)
Corey Kispert (from WAS)
Marvin Bagley III (from WAS)

New York Knicks receive:

Nick Richards (from CHA)
Grant Williams (from CHA)
$2.1 million trade exception (Jericho Sims)
$15.9 million trade exception (Julius Randle)

Washington Wizards receive:

Josh Green (from CHA)
Cody Martin (from CHA)
2025 Wizards protected first-rounder (from NYK)
2025 Detroit Pistons protected first-rounder (from NYK)

Pincus on why the Hornets do the deal:

"For such a low price (Martin, Richards, and Green), Charlotte gets Randle, Kispert, Bagley, and Sims. As much as teams have their eye on the 2025 lottery and Duke's Cooper Flagg, the Hornets don't want their season to be a complete trainwreck. Very few teams will have cap space next summer, meaning the Hornets would have leverage in negotiating an extension with Randle. If they can come to terms, the team's combination of physical forwards with Miles Bridges and Randle would be a lot for opponents to handle."

My take on the mock trade:

The odds of this happening are almost non-existent. The Hornets are not ready to swing for the fences on a big-name player such as Julius Randle. Sure, he would be an improvement, but by how much? They already have an undersized forward in Miles Bridges, whose numbers aren't far off from that of Randle's. If you're looking into acquiring Randle, I don't see the value in the Hornets hanging on to Bridges.

All that being said, the organization has zero interest in trading away this many assets just months after taking over control. Like it or not, Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee are going to use this first season together to evaluate the roster to get a better understanding of what is missing and where they are compared to the rest of the Eastern Conference. Coming in and blowing up a good portion of the roster just doesn't seem like a very wise move, nor one this front office is willing to make.

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