So last week it was reported by Marc Stein that the Hornets would be a "team to watch" as a possible land spot for Russel Westbrook. Now that the Hornets season is over, let's talk about why that can be a thing and possible deals involving Westbrook to Charlotte. So for Charlotte, the main goal would be to trade one or both of their long contracts given to veterans, Rozier and Hayward, and get back an expiring deal that would leave open a lot of cap room in the 23/24 offseason.
Why is that important for the Hornets future? Well, that might be the last offseason the Hornets can possibly have some free CAP space before extending Lamelo Ball's rookie deal to sign free agents that can help improve the current young core in place. Considering how he's played, Ball is going to receive a max rookie extension when his contract expires after the 23/24 season. Before him, some other important young pieces are also going to see their rookie deal ending and their salary increasing, which would put the Hornets locked above the salary CAP (and toying with the luxury tax) by the point Ball extension is in place. In fact, if things stay as they are the Hornets will be above the luxury tax by the start of the next season considering Miles Bridges, Montrezl Harrell and Cody Martin are all FAs next summer and the team will likely try to keep all three in town.
With this in mind, a possible Russ to Hornets deal would involve Hayward and/or Rozier. Let's try to discuss some possible trades involving the three scenarios: 1) Hayward + fillers; 2) Rozier + fillers; and 3) Hayward + Rozier.
Hayward + filler deal
CHA receives: Westbrook + draft compensation
LAL receives: Hayward + Plumlee (or Oubre)
Probably the dream case for the Hornets if it's with Plumlee. Gets rid of two players that are stand-ins atm (Plumlee being below avg starter and Hayward injuries + both not fitting the timeline). It'll all depend on how much compensation the Lakers are willing to give (if they give more they can maybe negotiate a better deal involving the other 2 scenarios), how much Russ will pressure to get out of LA (he probably won't but who knows) and how well Hornets FO can negotiate.
Rozier + filler deal
CHA receives: Westbrook + draft compensation
LAL receives: Rozier + Plumlee + Oubre
Probably the best case for the Lakers. Get 3 players that are bound to help the team, all fit with LBJ/AD, fill needs, add depth and without getting Hayward who in all honesty (and even though he's a perfect 3rd option when healthy) is just too injure prone to be trust-worthy. This will probably depend on how much the Hornets feel the need to open the cap room for the 23/24 offseason and if CHA can use a better offer to get more draft compensation in return.
Hayward + Rozier deal
CHA receives: Westbrook + THT
LAL receives: Rozier + Hayward
Honestly hard to say if and what team would need to receive picks, so I'll stay away from that pickle since I'm biased on opinion. This can be a decent deal for both teams because LAL get 2 very good starters that they can plug right into their team and are all-around guys that can play both with or off-ball. Meanwhile, for the Hornets, this opens even more CAP space and lands THT that can be a nice young piece and probably the guy with the most defensive upside on the roster. Things that might make this too unrealistic: 1) THT is a Klutch agent so idk how much the Lakers would consider something involving him and they reportedly already refused to involve THT in deals (for example for Lowry before he joined the Heat), and 2) THT is not on a rookie deal anymore so Hornets may not want to put effort on developing a guy that's not restricted when his deal expires.
So you guys noticed that I also didn't specify how much draft compensation would be involved in deals, I don't want to be biased here as I said and we all know we're not really good at judging players' value. Anyway, why it's a huge plus for the Hornets to get whatever draft capital they can get? Due to the Kai Jones deal on draft night, the Hornets are limited to only trading FRPs starting in 2027, and with some other small moves (like the Montrezl deal) the Hornets don't have a lot of SRPs to spare so this is a big limiting factor for the team chances of improving the roster via trade on the next 1/2 years.
Imo, that's a fairly unrealistic situation cause: 1) that's the same FO that signed Gordon and extended Terry, I doubt they would admit a mistake was made 2 and 1 years after, respectively, such an important decision; 2) it would be too hard for JB to fit in a lineup and make it work quickly since he's pressured he'll probably be against the move too; and 3) it's not worthy to make a lot of changes to adapt to a player that will be a 1 year rental. That leaves us to this deal being far off, there are also 2 cases where this could be a serious negotiation: either MJ wanting Russ bad and forcing the issue on the FO/Coaching staff, and/or a new FO/Coaching Staff being hired and they supporting such move.
This post is part of a series I'm trying to make regarding the Hornets offseason. Main post with more info here.
In general, that's pretty much everything there's to say on the matter. What are your guys' opinions on the likelihood of this happening, what scenario is more real, how would Russ play in Charlotte and what impact would he have? Disclaimer that that's a biased view from Hornets perspective so please share your thoughts as a Lakers or neutral fan.