Center Options

[Roll Tide 09]

Serious question. Ball and Bridges excluded...which players and how many firsts would we realistically need to trade for Jokic? If Denver cannot make noise soon, we should look into it.

[Rich4114]

Serious question. Ball and Bridges excluded...which players and how many firsts would we realistically need to trade for Jokic? If Denver cannot make noise soon, we should look into it.

Denver is competing for a championship and Joker may win MVP. They aren’t trading him, cmon now.

[Soul Rebel]

I think it's Holmes or bust for us, TBH. 6'10", good length and a pretty cut physique. I keep seeing folks say that he's a better 4, but could he not perform equally as well as our center w/ Bridges and PJ supporting him at the 4?

Last thing I want is another frontcourt player that is playing out of position....especially one that will fetch a decent salary in FA.

[Roll Tide 09]

Serious question. Ball and Bridges excluded...which players and how many firsts would we realistically need to trade for Jokic? If Denver cannot make noise soon, we should look into it.

Denver is competing for a championship and Joker may win MVP. They aren’t trading him, cmon now.

Oklahoma City was competing as well...look at them. One thing I know about the NBA...anything is possible.

[Braggins]

I think some names that are not being considered will become available. I mean this time last year you probably didn't expect Jarrett Allen and Vucevic to be moved. Personally, I would be trying to move Hayward while he's still got good value, even if it's for pieces that could be rerouted elsewhere for a center

I'd probably be looking to move Rozier. Hes gonna get a huge payday on his next contract and we have a younger/cheaper version who can already match his offensive production. I'd be down with moving Hayward, but his age, injury history, and contract, might limit his trade value and we don't really have another player with his skillset.

I see LaMelo, Monk, Bridges, and PJ, as the long term core.

[Rich4114]

I think some names that are not being considered will become available. I mean this time last year you probably didn't expect Jarrett Allen and Vucevic to be moved. Personally, I would be trying to move Hayward while he's still got good value, even if it's for pieces that could be rerouted elsewhere for a center

I'd probably be looking to move Rozier. Hes gonna get a huge payday on his next contract and we have a younger/cheaper version who can already match his offensive production. I'd be down with moving Hayward, but his age, injury history, and contract, might limit his trade value and we don't really have another player with his skillset.

I see LaMelo, Monk, Bridges, and PJ, as the long term core.

3 months ago, I would’ve agreed with you. Now? You can’t trade Terry and you probably need to resign him but I’m worried about how much he’ll demand. If it’s max, he doesn’t do enough to warrant max and we will need to pay Bridges and Monk.

[Braggins]

I think some names that are not being considered will become available. I mean this time last year you probably didn't expect Jarrett Allen and Vucevic to be moved. Personally, I would be trying to move Hayward while he's still got good value, even if it's for pieces that could be rerouted elsewhere for a center

I'd probably be looking to move Rozier. Hes gonna get a huge payday on his next contract and we have a younger/cheaper version who can already match his offensive production. I'd be down with moving Hayward, but his age, injury history, and contract, might limit his trade value and we don't really have another player with his skillset.

I see LaMelo, Monk, Bridges, and PJ, as the long term core.

3 months ago, I would’ve agreed with you. Now? You can’t trade Terry and you probably need to resign him but I’m worried about how much he’ll demand. If it’s max, he doesn’t do enough to warrant max and we will need to pay Bridges and Monk.

You can trade anyone as long as you find a willing partner. Terry is going to cost 25+ million to resign. That means we are talking about more than half the cap being spent on two guys who don't fit LaMelo's timeline (Terry/Gordon). Theres a good chance Monk will be better than Terry is now by the time LaMelo starts to enter his prime, which is the time frame they should be building for imo.

edit:

The Hayward signing + Batum stretch was still a big mistake imo and someone we'd like to keep is going to end up being a casualty of that mistake. I'd rather it not be one of the younger guys that fit the LaMelo timeline.

Getting Haywards contract off the books would give us the most flexibility, but moving him will also be more difficult. I'm actually a Terry believer now, but when you consider the difficulty of finding a trading partner, the potential return, and how easily we can replace the production, between Terry and Hayward, it seems like trading Terry could be the higher EV play. I'm not really happy about it and wish we just didn't sign Hayward.

[Rich4114]

Not having Hayward the past month has hurt us big time. Because when we do go dry for scoring, he is the one guy you can give it to and just let him calm everyone down and find a bucket. Nobody else can really do that for us when the going gets tough. I don’t regret the Hayward signing and if he comes back he can help us win playoff games if we end up making it there.

[Braggins]

I like Hayward's game. My only regret is the contract and cap implications.

I honestly like pretty much the entire core rotation of this team and am not thrilled about losing any of them.

[JDR720]

Hayward is a good player on a poor contract.

Like I mentioned previously, if he was 26 or so (like when Cho tried to get him) he would've been a good signing. But paying a 31 year old injury prone non-superstar a max contract is dumb.

Look at what the Knicks did, they signed a bunch of journeymen and one of them turned his career around to become a star. I'd rather take that approach than sign older players to huge deals. That's practically what Terry has managed to do.

I think everyone on this team is replaceable besides Ball. They're either volume scoring guards (Graham/Monk/Rozier) which are fairly easy to find, mediocre or injury prone. Miles is making a case he is more valuable than previously thought though, I'd put him #2 behind Ball right now.

[Roll Tide 09]

Hayward is a good player on a poor contract.

Like I mentioned previously, if he was 26 or so (like when Cho tried to get him) he would've been a good signing. But paying a 31 year old injury prone non-superstar a max contract is dumb.

Look at what the Knicks did, they signed a bunch of journeymen and one of them turned his career around to become a star. I'd rather take that approach than sign older players to huge deals. That's practically what Terry has managed to do.

I think everyone on this team is replaceable besides Ball. They're either volume scoring guards (Graham/Monk/Rozier) which are fairly easy to find, mediocre or injury prone. Miles is making a case he is more valuable than previously thought though, I'd put him #2 behind Ball right now.

Ball and Bridges are untouchable.

Washington and Graham, we should sell while high. If we can combine both and a draft pick we could easily get an All-Star caliber player and a solid role player or a handful of draft picks.

[Rich4114]

Seriously, how do we fix this problem for next season.

[Roll Tide 09]

Seriously, how do we fix this problem for next season.

We continue to develop Carey and trade Washington, Graham, and Zeller for a Power Forward who can be effective as a Center, a backup Point Guard, and a handful of draft picks. I also think that Richards and Hayward should be packaged in 2022 if we need one last piece for some reason or another and if Richards hasn't shown any real progress. We need to stop buying and holding bad or unproductive draft picks.

[wilson115]

Wanted to say "sell high" but I feel Mitch gives PJ the benefit of the doubt seeing Biz and Zeller have been so unreliable. At least until he sees how it goes with PJ starting at the 5 and a real big man rotation behind him.

[Rays Pompadour]

Seriously, how do we fix this problem for next season.

Kupchak is clearly preserving his first round draft picks. I think his aim is to solve the 5 problem through the draft. He's added a couple of second round bigs already in Carey and Richards, but you can't fix what's broken in the 2nd round. Plus, it takes a big 3 years to fully acclimate to the physicality of the NBA. Carey, for example, has the beef to hold his own down low, but not the finesse required to keep from fouling. a full summer and training camp will help.

So...draft and develop.

But I don't think the Hornets can just sit on the draft. Biz and Zeller are not likely to return (in Zeller's case, I would CHOOSE to go elsewhere), so bench depth and experience are needed. Assuming Charlotte drafts a big in the first round (adding to Carey and Richards), I see Kupchak pursuing a veteran that can offer starter-level minutes and that veteran presence all young players need.

Drummond is probably not that veteran, but he'll be unrestricted and a team could do worse depending upon the price tag. Serge Ibaka has the goods still and could be had, I think, in the $18M range after he opts out of his Clippers contract (PO). I've heard Daniel Theis, Richaun Holmes. Kupchak has tried twice now to get Montrezl Harrell. I'm not in favor of a third-time-is-the-charm thing. The free agent market for bigs will be scarce, so the Hornets will have to pay. I think they'll stay out of the restricted market.

Bottom line, the long-term plan is still the plan with a draft and develop strategy with strategic adds through free agency. If Kupchak failed to execute a trade when the need was most dire, I doubt he goes that way this summer.

[Hornet Mania]

The draft is really the only option for a true solution barring a major trade. Graham/Monk sign and trade makes some sense if the team chooses not to retain one of them.

I'm not keen on diving into the free agent pool unless Holmes comes for a reasonable price. The available free agents are going to be so ridiculously overpaid they'll do more harm than good in the big picture. I'd rather just watch Biz/Zeller get owned again than be locked into Harrell for 4yrs $80m.

[Snidely FC]

Myles Turner + Doug McDermott for Gordon Hayward offer IND made BOS still available?

[CuseMayne]

Myles Turner + Doug McDermott for Gordon Hayward offer IND made BOS still available?

That would be amazing for us.

Melo/Tae
T-Ro/Monk
Miles/Doug McD
PJ/Jalen McD
Turner/Big Vern

Sign me the hell up lol.

[Hornet Mania]

Myles Turner + Doug McDermott for Gordon Hayward offer IND made BOS still available?

I'd be 100% up for that trade. Only downside it is stabs Gordo in the back and he's probably the biggest FA signing in franchise history (def between him, Big Al, Derrick Coleman), which might hurt our shot at signing future players.

But on the other hand free agents don't care about Charlotte anyway so I wouldn't be too concerned. The only way I wouldn't pull the trigger on that is if Gordo is Melo's favorite mentor or something.

[HornetJail]

Myles Turner + Doug McDermott for Gordon Hayward offer IND made BOS still available?

I would easily trade a 1st to make that happen... like not even a second thought.