Hornets Projected Be Sellers This Year After Poor Start, Naz Reid Among Players Who May Be on Move What Could They Receive in Return

· Yahoo Sports

Charlotte Hornets center Naz Reid (0) drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game at Spectrum Center. | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Daniel Benjamin, Editor

The Charlotte Hornets surprisingly made wholesale changes to their roster after producing their best season in a decade. But the Hornets have gone through their fair share of adversity early on and currently sit ninth in the East with a 4-7 record.

Injuries have been a major issue for Charlotte, as Grant Williams has yet to make his debut, Kon Knueppel has only appeared in one game, and Coby White has missed the first seven contests. Dennis Schroder is now out for at least two weeks, and Brandon Miller will sit out his second straight game against Phoenix on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Moussa Diabate is expected to return against the Suns after sitting out the previous two games.

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But the injuries are not the complete story. Charlotte is the worst offensive team in the NBA, with a 101.9 rating; they average just 98.8 points per game, nearly six points worse than any other team in the league. Shooting is a major problem for the Hornets, as they are connecting on a league-worst 40% from the field and just 30.8% (28th) on 3-point attempts, despite attempting a league-high 44.6 triples per game. While the Hornets’ shooting woes are a huge problem, they are also dead last in assists (21.0) and turnovers (19.0).

Charlotte hasn’t been great on the defensive end either. The Hornets are giving up the 10th-fewest points in the league and rank 19th in defensive rating, due to their yeoman’s work on the defensive glass and their third-slowest pace. However, the Hornets are allowing opponents to shoot 47.6% from the field and a league-best 40.8% from the 3-point line.

Charlotte Hornets center Naz Reid (0) takes the rebound up court against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Spectrum Center. Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

As a result of Charlotte’s slow start, John Krawczynski of the John Krawczynski Show believes that the Hornets could be sellers. Krawczynski specifically mentioned Naz Reid as someone who may be on the move.

‘The Hornets now are clearly in a period of transition, and they decided that LaMelo Ball was not going to be a part of the team that they believe can eventually get to real contender status,” Krawczynski said. “They made a decision with that core group that they were not good enough as constructed, and so they had to take a step back, amass some assets and go forward. And what that also means is that, A, the fans are going to be upset because they finally had a fun season last year and now it is going sideways again.”

“The Possibility of Naz Reid getting traded again is very high,” Krawczynski continued. “This is a roster that I think is going to change quite a bit over the next couple of years as the Hornets look for the right combination of people to really vault into what they hope is contention.”

Would the Hornets Trade Naz Reid

Reid was a surprise acquisition for Charlotte, as really no one saw them moving off of LaMelo Ball. The Hornets acquired him, along with Mohamadou Guye (via Chicago), four first-round picks, and two second-round picks in the four-team trade.

Reid has thrived in a starting role with the Hornets. The 27-year-old, who has been one of the NBA’s best 6th Men over the last three seasons, is second on the team in both points (17.4) and rebounds (8.5) per game. He is also second on the team with 2.5 threes a contest while posting shooting splits of 41.1/36.5/64.

While Reid is putting up strong numbers overall, he is taking over 16 shots per game and struggling at the free-throw line. As a result, the 6-9 big averages just 1.1 points per shot, which is significantly worse than his career average of 1.3 points per shot. He and head coach Charles Lee also haven’t seen eye to eye, which led to his benching for the entire second half of a game against Detroit a little over a week ago.

Reid is in the second year of a five-year, $125 million deal. Reid is making $23.2 million this season, the second-most on the team, though it accounts for only 14.1% of the team’s salary cap. He has already been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers in potential trades.

Reid’s market value is robust at this point due to his productivity, ball-handling, and perimeter shooting. Therefore, the Hornets could expect a young high-potential recent first-round pick as part of the package for Reid or a first-round pick along with several second-round selections. Teams would also have to match his salary.

Other Hornets Trade Candidates

If Charlotte can’t right the ship, Reid may not be the only Hornet on the trade block. Here is a look at other potential trade candidates.

Grayson Allen

Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee confers with guard Grayson Allen (8) during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Spectrum Center. Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Allen is having an outstanding start to the season. Allen, who has a player option at $19.35 million for the 2026-27 season, has been a major part of Lee’s rotation and would have been without the Hornets’ injury problems. Through 11 appearances, he averages 15.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 turnovers. He also makes 3.5 threes a game with shooting splits of 46.2/43.5/91.9.

Allen, 31, is a potential trade candidate because his timeline doesn’t align with the organization’s, and his value around the league is high. Allen is one of the premier shooters in the NBA, being a career 40% shooter from deep, and may be willing to overpay for his services if he continues this production.

If the Hornets do decide to trade Allen, a contender would likely offer a protected first-round pick, along with players for salary matching purposes, or a young rotational player and two second-round picks.

Dennis Schroder

 

Charlotte Hornets point guard Dennis Schroder (17) dribbles against Brooklyn Nets power forward Julius Randle (30) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Schroder is currently sidelined with a left hamstring strain. But the 33-year-old has struggled mightily in the early going, shooting the ball and turning it over. Defense has never been a strength of his.

Charlotte doesn’t have an overabundance of ballhandlers. But Schroder has not been good for the Hornets, and he has another year on his deal. Plus, Coby White will be the starter at the point once ever, and first-round pick Christian Anderson will likely eventually take over the backup point guard job.

So, the Hornets acquired Schroder as part of the five-team trade centered on Peyton Watson and could look to dump him either this season or over the summer. A buyout isn’t out of the question depending on how things play out going forward.

Grant Williams

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7), forward Grant Williams (2) and guard Coby White (3) on the bench during the first half against the Washington Wizards at the Spectrum Center. Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Williams is on a reasonable expiring contract and hasn’t been able to stay healthy in his four seasons in Charlotte, where he has appeared in 81 total games. The 27-year-old has been dealing with a hamstring injury, though he is slated to make his season debut on Thursday in Phoenix.

Despite his injury history, Williams is a quality two-way player who is valued around the league for his toughness, floor-spacing and defensive versatility. He is a career 37.8% shooter from 3-point range and can guard all three frontcourt positions.

Given his value, the Hornets should be able to secure either draft capital or a young prospect from a contending team. However, they may decide to keep Williams for the rest of the season in hopes of re-signing him in the offseason.  He did go to high school in Charlotte.

Royce O’Neale

Charlotte Hornets forward Royce O’Neale (00) makes a slam dunk during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Spectrum Center. Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

O’Neale is on a reasonable contract and has value around the league due to his physical defense and 3-point shooting. The 33-year-old is off to a slow start, knocking down just 29.3% of his 4.4 3-point attempts this year — he is a career 38.8% shooter from deep.

Charlotte is kind of deep on the wing, so trading O’Neale would clear the way for younger players to continue to get time to develop — Liam McNealy and Sion James. The Hornets should be able to get at least a second-round pick for O’Neale.

Last Word

While it is too early for Charlotte to think seriously about the trade deadline, the Hornets will have decisions to make if they can’t get things going. The Hornets have committed to building around Miller and Knueppel. They also do have a few promising young bigs in Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner, along with Hannes Steinbach, who is a project at this point.

Saying that the Hornets are the fourth-youngest team in the NBA. The Hornets will also likely get younger, with three first-round picks potentially at their disposal this upcoming June. They have their own selection in the 2027 draft while also owning Dallas (top-2 protected) and Miami’s (top-14 protected). Overall, over the next seven drafts, they have 11 first-rounders and 17 second-round selections, including two in 2027.

However, Charlotte would be more than happy to add to those totals if a deal is warranted. Schroder is probably the most likely of the six players listed not to finish the season with the team, followed by O’Neale. It doesn’t really make sense for the Hornets to trade Reid given his age, productivity, skill set, and contract. Unless, of course, the Hornets are blown away by an offer.

Now if Charlotte doesn’t move on Reid, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t revisit the idea this summer. The same can be said for Allen and, to a lesser extent, Williams. However, the trade offers don’t have to be “home runs” for them to pull the trigger on Allen or Williams, unlike for Reid.

Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

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