Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Mesic, 22, drives past Memphis Grizzlies guard John Konchar, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Neil Redmond)
Oklahoma City got Gordon Hayward, Dallas got P.J. Washington, Miami got Terry Rozier, and Philadelphia ended up getting City native and Villanova alum Kyle Lowry after a buyout after he was traded.
The Thunder, Mavericks, Heat and 76ers should feel good about that.
The Charlotte Hornets should feel relieved, too — even though they were the team on the other end of all those trades.
It's a natural tendency when the NBA trade season goes through: Everyone feels compelled to decide which teams won and which teams lost. New York has made some smart moves and certainly believes it can now make a serious run in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix added depth and variety. Boston found a way to maybe upgrade their bench a bit.
The thing is, the trade deadline winner may not be determined until someone hoovers up Larry O'Brien in June. Or maybe, as teams like the Hornets hope, it won't be decided until 2026 or 2027. The only place they'll go when this season is over is the draft lottery. So they did the wise thing: they blew it up, roster builders say, and started over. Time will tell whether it works out or not, but it's clear the seeds have been planted.
“It's a different dynamic.” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Look, it's not that they're not meaningful games — they're always meaningful — but it's not like we're two games away from the playoffs.”
Credit to Clifford for saying that. Credit the Hornets for clearly agreeing and looking to change him.
No one knows how this will end in Charlotte; Michael Jordan had just sold the team, and when teams sell out new ownership tends to bring in their own people to run things. One of those dominoes fell on Monday, when general manager Mitch Kupchak moved into an advisory role. Clifford might go next. But it's clear: New owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin aren't waiting for the summer to start changing the menu — they've done it now.
Here's who ended up with Charlotte after the trade season: Seth Curry (wearing the No. 30 jersey his father Dell wore in Charlotte; think some Hornets fans might buy this now?), Grant Williams, Davis Bertans, Trey Mann, Vasilije Micic ( The rookie who only had career-best 18 points and nine assists in his debut in Charlotte), two first-round picks, two second-round picks and salary cap space.
This is roughly equivalent to the number of assets they have won this season. Added bonus: Not only is Curry, Steph Curry's brother, a Charlotte native from his father's time playing there — “It's a dream come true as a father.” But so is Williams,” said Dell Curry, now one of the team's announcers.
Curry said all the right things. He's thrilled to be back, thrilled to be around Duke again, thrilled to have the opportunity to eat a little Bojangles (if you've been to Charlotte, you understand). The same goes for Williams.
“It's funny that it happens this way, because it allows you to be part of something that can be built from the ground up.” Williams said. “New ownership, new team, a group of young and talented people, an opportunity to build something special here in the city. … Coming home is a truly unique opportunity and I have to take full advantage of it.
The Hornets have 29 games remaining in this season, which would be their seventh in the last eight years without a winning record and could finish the season as the second-worst team in NBA history in the city — only behind the incredibly bad 2011-12 team that finished 7-59. It was worse.
whatever. This season no longer matters from a win-loss perspective. Charlotte had high hopes entering the season and won opening night with this lineup: LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Hayward, Washington, and Rozier. Paul and Williams were injured for most of the season. Hayward was, and now he, Washington and Rozier are gone.
So, these final 29 games are a building block for the summer and knowing what next season could be like, and the season after that, and the season after that. The Hornets believe Brandon Miller — the No. 2 pick behind Victor Wembanyama in next year's draft — will be a star. They have the ball; He was already an All-Star.
There are good players on the roster, most of whom are under contract for at least next season and in many cases beyond. There will be roof space. Miles Bridges will be a free agent this summer and he and Charlotte have decisions to make.
What they do at the trade deadline won't matter much this year. But in the future, it certainly may happen.
