Trade the Pick? Hornets Should Look to Add High-Level Player

The Hornets need to enter the offseason with an open mind.

Jan 19, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; A detail view of the center court logo for Classic Night game / Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets will yet again pick in the lottery, marking the eighth straight year they will have done so. In the previous seven lottery selections, they've had a pretty high hit rate landing on guys such as Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and Brandon Miller. Four of those picks still remain in Charlotte and are expected to be a big part of the team's future.

But instead of taking another player at the top of the draft, I'd urge Hornets GM Jeff Peterson to trade the pick for an established veteran who can help this team immediately. The only thing working against the Hornets here is that this draft class is not very attractive and very few GMs around the league would be willing to part ways with the asset I mentioned for a prospect in a weak draft.

That being said, someone will be interested in one way or another, especially if the Hornets get a little bit of lottery luck and draw the first overall selection. Think of contending teams that very limited draft capital and are either considering hitting the reset button or a team that needs to free up some cash.

There could be others in the mix as well such as Brooklyn and New Orleans, just to throw out a couple of examples. Whether they'd like to admit it or not, the Nets are in a rebuild and could look to move someone like Mikal Bridges for a top pick in the draft. The Pelicans could be open to trading Brandon Ingram, but the Hornets would have to offer more than just the No. 1 or 2 overall pick in the draft, assuming they get that high in the lottery. And that's the kicker in this whole thing - if they don't land a top two pick, you can forget about them being in position to land a quality veteran.

Davis Bertans and Vasa Micic could be added in any potential deal to help with the salary side of it. Between the two, they will account for a cap hit of $23.7M in 2024-25. Mikal Bridges is due $23M next year which makes a pursuit of him more realistic, especially when you consider Brooklyn's situation up against New Orleans.

The Hornets ranked near the bottom of the association last season in three-point percentage (35.5%) and Bridges would help fix that area of the Hornets' offense immediately. For his career, Bridges is a 37% shooter from beyond the arc. Adding that to this current roster will do the Hornets more good than bringing in another youngster.

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