The Charlotte Hornets have been busy before the trade deadline passed on February 8 2024. Let's review and rank each trade on the impact it could have on the team.
Trade with Miami Heat, January 23 2024: D
Miami received: Guard Terry Rozier.
Charlotte received: Veteran Guard Kyle Lowry 2027 first-round draft pick.
The Hornets traded away consistent shooting guard Terry Rozier, which arguably automatically weakens the quality within their squad of players.
The 2015 first-round pick has accumulated an average of 20.7 points a game so far in this campaign.
In return, they received 37-year-old point guard Kyle Lowry, who was recently waived by the organisation, meaning that he is free to sign with another team.
Moreover, they got a 2027 first-round pick in return, which certainly helps the team in the future, but will leave them a bit short-handed in the meantime.
Trade with Dallas Mavericks, February 8 2024: B+
Dallas Mavericks received: P.J. Washington Jr, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.
Charlotte Hornets received: Seth Curry, Grant Williams, and a 2027 first-round pick.
Forward P.J. Washington Jr was drafted in the first round by the Hornets in 2019, but unfortunately, it hasn't really worked out for the 25-year-old.
Washington Jr is a top player when healthy and will bolster the Mavericks' squad with some quality, and it will be a new chance for him to find some much-needed consistency.
He has been averaging 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season.
On the other hand, the Hornets acquired the experienced guard and Charlotte native Seth Curry, forward Grant Williams, and a 2027 first-round pick.
Williams' time in Dallas was far from perfect.
He was picked up from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade in 2023.
However, he never got the ball rolling with the Mavericks as he soon fell out of favour in Dallas with the team searching to trade him away.
Despite his troubles in Texas, a fresh start in North Carolina can be an excellent move for his career because he is a player with a bundle of talent and basketball IQ.
If the 25-year-old can get his head down and start to build up momentum, he could prove to be an excellent acquisition from the Hornets.
The Hornets also received well-travelled journeyman Seth Curry, who will bring bags of experience with him and will be a quality depth option for the organisation.
He has averaged 4.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per match this term.
These two players paired with a 2027 first-round pick appear to be a decent trade for both teams, with P.J. Washington and a couple of second-round picks going the other way.
Trade with Olkahoma City Thunder, February 8 2024: A
Oklahoma City Thunder: Gordon Hayward
Charlotte received: Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick
Oklahoma City Thunder gave up a lot of leverage to land former all-star forward Gordon Hayward.
Hayward is a consistent scorer and an outstanding playmaker on his day, which will likely have a huge impact on the Thunder's squad, who are hunting down the top spot in the Western Conference.
However, Hayward's time in Charlotte has been heavily affected by injuries meaning that he only featured in 25 of 50 games for the side.
This season, the forward has averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists a game.
This also means that the Hornets are offloading a huge contract.
In return, they are acquiring three solid squad pieces that will help mould a decent team of players.
The lineup will now boast a plethora of young talent and experience that has the potential to mix well and potentially lead the organisation to improved results.
Moreover, the two picks will help the franchise build its leverage for future trades or will simply allow them to add extra young talent from the drafts.
This will likely be a huge trade for the Hornets.
Overall, it can be argued that Charlotte has pulled off a couple of excellent trades before the deadline passed, which will likely help them improve in the future.