Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal?

Some Hornets fans will protest this deal. Earlier, we said they had plenty of talent at the 5 spot. After this deal, that would no longer be the case. The Hornets will have waived Jones and traded Richards. That would leave Mark Williams to handle the five spot mostly alone.

Mostly. P.J. Washington is still on the roster as a small-ball option. Moreover, the Hornets could go get a low-cost backup. Realistically, they don’t need Williams and Richards – they can’t play together. Williams seems like the future if the Hornets are choosing. By contrast, Finney-Smith can play alongside anyone. He’s a combo forward who spaces the floor and defends. The Hornets are light on such players so Finney-Smith would be a suitable addition to the team.

Why The Brooklyn Nets Do The Deal?

Some Nets fans will protest here as well. They’ll say the Nets are receiving a poo-poo platter in exchange for Finney-Smith. That’s true. Unfortunately, Finney-Smith was a wildly inconsistent shooter last season. As it stands, they aren’t likely to get much more for him.

Besides, Richards is a good player. We just touched on Claxton’s upcoming extension – will the Nets offer it? It’s been speculated that, given their position in the standings, they may not feel that they can afford Claxton. If the Nets don’t have a surprisingly competitive season, it shouldn’t come as a shock if they move on from the versatile big man. Richards could be a replacement. Otherwise, Bouknight is about to get surgery. His NBA future is unclear too. Still, if he can get healthy, his ability to create offense in the half-court could be valuable to this team. After all, Bouknight was a first-round pick too.