So I'm still waiting on the Hornets announcement on the next coach to continue with the series posts about our offseason. Still, I spend the last few days discussing with other fans some center that might be available for the Hornets so it's best to write about the most pressing issue on the roster now that there are some fresh ideas (and a lot of spare time lol).
In this post, we will go over some possible targets for the Hornets in their most glaring need: the center position. It's fair to say that anyone in the league with two brain cells knows how big of a concern that is for the franchise, and the current situation will make the team pay a tax in any possible trade of FA signing that they try to make. To separate the players, let's put them in tiers with the following things in mind: 1) timeline fits with Lamelo and Miles, 2) length of the contract, 3) how realistic it is to go get that guy, 4) is the player actually good and 5) injury histories.
Tier 1: Premium
Gobert: DPOY on steroids, Gobert would be the legit player to turn the Hornets into a playoff team as long as he still has legs. That's the main concern though, considering he's likely trending towards the end of his prime, giving up too many future assets may be a questionable move for a team with young still improving main guys. It might be a premium price worth paying though, considering Charlotte usually has to overpay for everything anyway.
Ayton: Youth and immediate impact, Ayton would be the ideal mix of a top center still with room to grow but with already enough body of work to be worth trading for. I don't think it's a very realistic target, I'm still waiting to see a trade that it would make sense for Phoenix to take instead of simply keeping him. For the Hornets possible trade package, the main issue is that their main assets (our 2 frps this year) are pretty hard to incorporate into a DA deal (unless some next level pre-arranging happens). Still, would be welcomed with open arms by everyone.
Poeltl: Just left this monster of a man here as a personal preference. Imo he's, from all the realistic targets, the best one and that we could find a win-win fair trade for both sides. Spurs have 2 late seconds and the Hornets would be the perfect partner for a trade-up, while trading Poeltl will also let them draft Duren at 9th and keep the theme of going younger. Jakob erased all the questions about his ability to be a starting C in the league, and in fact, became the 3rd best defender on drop coverages behind Gobert and Embiid imo. He's obviously flawed, being a terrible FT and not even having a mid-range game. Albeit that, the thing that I'd want to make sure the Hornets do in a possible trade for him is extending this man's contract before he plays a minute with the team.
Tier 2: Good, flawed but cheaper than it should
Turner: Hard to gauge the value of someone who is more injured than Hayward and that has been on trade talks for almost 3 years as of now. Still, if there's a time for Indy to rebuild, it's now and that can make them finally willing to part way with Myles. As I said, his health and his expiring deals are concerns, but sometimes that can also be a good thing to decrease the value of a player and make trade more possible. Probably the biggest risk/reward on the board (except for rookies).
Wood: I'm not a Wood fan, but you can't take away the fact that he's a respectable stretch big in the league that's a borderline 20/10 guy. Can he do that in a competitive team? Can he play defense? We will never know until a team tries him out. Undoubtedly, from all the realistic bigs available, he's the one with more offensive upside. A very similar case to Myles trade-wise, where his contract and the rebuilding status of their team can make trade more palatable for Houston.
Capela: Once a top 10 center in the league, Clint still knows how to get the job done. Lost his quickness and verticality after the injuries, but still an expert at the two-man game and rebounding, which can all be very helpful to this team. Probably not that realistic atm, but he can be a guy that becomes more available as the Hawks look to upgrade to get a second top ~30 player and Capela end up losing his spot or going to a team on a rebuild, that would be a dream scenario for any team wanting a C to jump on.
Mitchell Robinson: Both Mitchell and Gafford are borderline tiers 2/3, I put them here because they are my 2 personal preferences when compared to the rest of the tier 3 group. The question mark for Mitch was always his healthy, and he just comes to form his healthiest season in his early career so that will make him go on a high note for his RFA. It's still scary that he's a low scorer, but for a very limited big man, the lack of playmaking on NY translates into his low FGA. The team getting him will hope that in a new situation he will get more passes and keep the same finishing rate near the rim. Two main concerns should be his ability to stay healthy over the 3/4 year extension and that when you look at his stats, he's a very similar player to his rookie year. It's hard to know what the Knicks will do, but they are certainly not afraid to trade and if they can find a center somewhere else or they drag on the extension negotiations, Mitchell can grow unhappy and try to find a new home.
Gafford: The direction of the Wizards is a mystery, but it's that inconsistent decision-making that can make them a target for other FOs to keep in contact. Probably an underrated player, that any team could trade for and plug into a starter/top8 guy to a positive outcome. I like his defense more than some of the players on tier 3 and I think he can work off a playmaking guard very well.
Tier 3: Can it be worse than Plumlee?
Adams: The definition of a stopgap center, Adams will give you 25 good minutes of battling against the best bigs in the league. If I'm the Grizz I stick with him for one more year, but if they really want to give room to a JJJ and Clarke, while giving some bench minutes for Aldama they can look for deals involving Adams.
Holmes: Sorry detective, I'm not your biggest fan. Honestly, idk why. When you look at his game, he's a good rim runner full of energy, better than most C at hitting a middy and an FT. Can he play more than 20 MPG in a playoff series? Can he defend the best in the league? Probably not, but he's for sure more efficient as a starter than Plumlee, and that for us should be enough. The good selling point for the Hornets is that the Kings, in their rush to reach the playoffs, might be a good trade partner for Hayward where he'll actually have neutral to positive value.
Zubac: When you look at the Clippers roster, it's easy to find multiple players that they can use on trades. Zubac is one of them, and at this point has also established himself as a decent enough starting C. Honestly, LAC should just stick with their roster, grab 1 or 2 vet mins and go for it with their duo, but if for some reason Zubac ends up losing space there we should be a suitor.
Nurkic: Honestly highly unlikely cause Blazers should and will give another run for Dame. Nurkic will give quality minutes if he's on the floor. That if is pretty big, but for a team in desperate need, the Hornets can live with it.
Bamba: The idea of Bamba is 2 or 3 times better than the guy as a player. A project, that in theory is tempting with the combination of 3 pt shooting and rim protection, but he was arguably the worst player on the Magic roster this past season. Questions are can he improve his terrible IQ and lack of effort at this point of his career, what's the cost of a sign and trade, and how much a team is willing to risk giving him minutes and end up a historic failure?
Claxton: Another guy up for a rookie extension, Claxton seems like a guy that doesn't have the coordination to use his body or hands. At this point, his best role is as a limited bench guy that's put on the floor in a specific situation and his PT goes from there. For a team like the Hornets, a safer bet would be more indicated.
Tier 4: Rookies
Duren: Unless something crazy happens, a guy that we would have to trade up for. We all know that once a FO falls in love with a prospect, they will do everything in their power to go out and grab their guy. If that's our case for Duren, I'll be up for it, even though I consider that 13th + 15th holds more value than picking Duren in the top 10. All I'm going to say is that if that happens, he better be playing at least 25 minutes on opening night.
Mark Williams: Is Mark the magical fit that's a top 15 pick regardless or did the glaring need for a C from the Hornets turned Mark into a top 15 pick? After his combined measurements would be insane for the Hornets to not draft him with one of their picks. Again, considering he goes into the season with only Plumlee as his competition, I'd hope for him to be the starter from day 1. The main question here is: will the Cavs do us dirty and trade the 14th pick? Tell me in the comments possible good deals/partners for the Cavs to do that so I can stay on edge until the draft night.
Scenarios:
Give everything we possibly can to pair Gobert or Ayton with Melo and Bridges.
Decide between Poeltl, Turner, and Wood and overpay to find the possible long-term solution.
Draft a center and make him the starter.
Keep all options open, find the best possible value trade and leave with the results.
Try to steal an RFA (lol), selling to his camp that he would be in a great spot, forcing the other team to take a bad deal.
Keep Plumlee and Harrell sharing the starting minutes while using the deep amount of forwards to play small ball, trying to bet on a deadline deal and that a new coach can improve the team without huge roster changes.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my tiers and did I leave anyone out? What route would you take for the Hornets? What are the realistic/best targets for a team wanting a C - if your team is in that situation too, please coment what you would do?