So Charlotte, what's the plan?

[MasterIchiro]

It's almost like a Hornets fan didn’t just explain to you the precise situation and nobody read it, just jumped in like they have their finger on the pulse of the team over an actual Hornets fan.

Once again,

Hornets have a roster crunch.

In order to get down to 15 from 18 guys, Hornets have to bundle smaller contracts for a bigger one. 3-5 players for one.

Trading LaMelo is the opposite of that.

Hornets have 8 first round picks available for upgrades + 12 2nd round picks to attach to roster clutter.

LaMelo is first option. Brandon Miller is 2nd option. Collin Sexton is 3rd option. Miles Bridges is 4th option. Tre Mann is 5th option. Pick 4 Kon Knueppel was super efficient in college.

This is a team with firepower on offense, zero bad contracts and stacked with draft capital.

We are not tearing down.

I'm going to keep repeating it when you keep ignoring it.

[Scalabrine]

They have to be tanking right? They have the worst C rotation in the league by a mile. There aren’t even any good C’s left to sign (Ayton would likely be a disaster on CHA).

Kalkbrenner and Plumlee has a chance to be better than Post/Jackson Davis in SF or Huff/Bradley in Indy.

[magee]

One insight into their leaning on this roster crunch relates to one of those listed outgoing players: Hornets and player agency extended the decision on Josh Okogie's non-guaranteed contract to July 15th.

If they extended in order to bring back Okogie (at lower dollars) then Okogie gets roster spot 15 and that leaves Josh Green without a roster spot. However, Josh Green is signed to a multiyear deal so unlikely Hornets eat it.

If the plan were to simply non-guarantee Okogie, Hornets could've done that 1 week ago. So they at least showed their hand they are trying to relocate him.

If they relocate Okogie in a 1-for-1, that incoming player would get that last roster spot, once again leaving out Josh Green who's owed 2 years 28.3 million. Small market Charlotte won't likely eat that. We've already established that.

So that leaves one more option with Okogie, bundle him with that pesky contract Josh Green in a 2-for-1 where the incoming player gets the final roster spot. Matching salary comes in at ~21.3 million (13.6 Green + 7.7 Okogie).

Attaching draft capital for a player earning 21.3 million is a way to pay to make Josh Green and Josh Okogie go away, but it improves the roster at the one open spot.

Still, Hornets having multiple outside 1sts (4) and 2nds (12) can repeat this ritual by pulling one player from the 14 other spots, bundling with Connaughton, and paying draft capital currency to make them go away for a player who further improves the roster.

Take for example Salaün. Connaughton (9.4) + Salaün (7.8) = ~17.2 million matching for an incoming player.

You can argue your team/other teams don't want any of these players. Fine. I don't want them.

But if you argue your team/other teams don't want any of Charlotte's 4 outside firsts or 12 2nds, then you're not really thinking like a RealGM. Those guys buy draft currency every day, all day.

So out of the list of combos for salary, and what kind of player those types of deals could consolidate into, who would you want the Hornets to try and acquire?

So let's say it was strictly a cap-saving move for a team. Salaun and Okogie would be, what, 15-ish? Add Green and that jumps to 29-ish? A team could waive Okogie before July 15th and save that money. Who in that price range fits in with this Hornets team? Also, I don't think Connaughton can be dealt with a combo of players. Aggregate rules?

[MasterIchiro]

One insight into their leaning on this roster crunch relates to one of those listed outgoing players: Hornets and player agency extended the decision on Josh Okogie's non-guaranteed contract to July 15th.

If they extended in order to bring back Okogie (at lower dollars) then Okogie gets roster spot 15 and that leaves Josh Green without a roster spot. However, Josh Green is signed to a multiyear deal so unlikely Hornets eat it.

If the plan were to simply non-guarantee Okogie, Hornets could've done that 1 week ago. So they at least showed their hand they are trying to relocate him.

If they relocate Okogie in a 1-for-1, that incoming player would get that last roster spot, once again leaving out Josh Green who's owed 2 years 28.3 million. Small market Charlotte won't likely eat that. We've already established that.

So that leaves one more option with Okogie, bundle him with that pesky contract Josh Green in a 2-for-1 where the incoming player gets the final roster spot. Matching salary comes in at ~21.3 million (13.6 Green + 7.7 Okogie).

Attaching draft capital for a player earning 21.3 million is a way to pay to make Josh Green and Josh Okogie go away, but it improves the roster at the one open spot.

Still, Hornets having multiple outside 1sts (4) and 2nds (12) can repeat this ritual by pulling one player from the 14 other spots, bundling with Connaughton, and paying draft capital currency to make them go away for a player who further improves the roster.

Take for example Salaün. Connaughton (9.4) + Salaün (7.8) = ~17.2 million matching for an incoming player.

You can argue your team/other teams don't want any of these players. Fine. I don't want them.

But if you argue your team/other teams don't want any of Charlotte's 4 outside firsts or 12 2nds, then you're not really thinking like a RealGM. Those guys buy draft currency every day, all day.

So out of the list of combos for salary, and what kind of player those types of deals could consolidate into, who would you want the Hornets to try and acquire?

So let's say it was strictly a cap-saving move for a team. Salaun and Okogie would be, what, 15-ish? Add Green and that jumps to 29-ish? A team could waive Okogie before July 15th and save that money. Who in that price range fits in with this Hornets team? Also, I don't think Connaughton can be dealt with a combo of players. Aggregate rules?

Given the Hornets would be using draft capital as currency to pay to consolidate, I would be narrowing focus on the rebuild teams that would most highly value draft capital. Sexton was the big pickup from a rebuild team to add to the guards which Hornets now have in excess. I'd say targets play positions 3-5 but most likely 4/5

Ex:

Nets Claxton 25 million
Nets MPJ 38 million
Jazz Markkanen 46 million

Less likely are the rebuild-exit teams

Jerami Grant - 32 million
Vucevic - 21 million
RWIII - 14 million

[prophet_of_rage]

New owner. Save money while value grows.

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

[magee]

Given the Hornets would be using draft capital as currency to pay to consolidate, I would be narrowing focus on the rebuild teams that would most highly value draft capital. Sexton was the big pickup from a rebuild team to add to the guards which Hornets now have in excess. I'd say targets play positions 3-5 but most likely 4/5

Ex:

Nets Claxton 25 million
Nets MPJ 38 million
Jazz Markkanen 46 million

Less likely are the rebuild-exit teams

Jerami Grant - 32 million
Vucevic - 21 million
RWIII - 14 million

Claxton I could see because he fits the team and age. MPJ would stifle the playing time for Kon. Markkanen is treading water and would have to give up Miles Bridges to get him. Personally I'd do it, but Miles brings similar production at 60-ish% of the cost.

Grant's contract is not worth trading for. Portland would gladly take any draft capital if it meant trading Grant. They'd more than likely have to attach picks to get rid of him.

Bulls have as little Center depth as the Hornets, especially if they are not getting one back in a trade if they deal Vucevic. TIMELORD is needed in Portland. I really like the Blazers' draft pick Yang Hansen, but he's still young. They'll keep TIMELORD for the year. He's beloved by the team, despite his injuries, and Clingan is still pretty foul prone for them.

Claxton might be the best option, but do the Nets even have a decent back-up who can fill in for him?

[MasterIchiro]

Given the Hornets would be using draft capital as currency to pay to consolidate, I would be narrowing focus on the rebuild teams that would most highly value draft capital. Sexton was the big pickup from a rebuild team to add to the guards which Hornets now have in excess. I'd say targets play positions 3-5 but most likely 4/5

Ex:

Nets Claxton 25 million
Nets MPJ 38 million
Jazz Markkanen 46 million

Less likely are the rebuild-exit teams

Jerami Grant - 32 million
Vucevic - 21 million
RWIII - 14 million

Claxton I could see because he fits the team and age. MPJ would stifle the playing time for Kon. Markkanen is treading water and would have to give up Miles Bridges to get him. Personally I'd do it, but Miles brings similar production at 60-ish% of the cost.

Grant's contract is not worth trading for. Portland would gladly take any draft capital if it meant trading Grant. They'd more than likely have to attach picks to get rid of him.

Bulls have as little Center depth as the Hornets, especially if they are not getting one back in a trade if they deal Vucevic. TIMELORD is needed in Portland. I really like the Blazers' draft pick Yang Hansen, but he's still young. They'll keep TIMELORD for the year. He's beloved by the team, despite his injuries, and Clingan is still pretty foul prone for them.

Claxton might be the best option, but do the Nets even have a decent back-up who can fill in for him?

They signed Day'Ron Sharpe to a small 2 year deal. I was surprised Hornets didn't move to acquire him.

[magee]

They signed Day'Ron Sharpe to a small 2 year deal. I was surprised Hornets didn't move to acquire him.

Hornets have their version of Sharpe in Diabate.