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CHARLOTTE HORNETS: trade grades

Trade Grades
Click here for link to Memphis Grizzlies Trade Grades
Click here for link to Miami Heat Trade Grades


Grizzlies get: C/PF Chris Andersen, SG/SF P.J Hairston, 2 second-round picks (via Miami), 2 second-round picks (via Charlotte)
Heat get: PG Brian Roberts
Hornets get: SG Courtney Lee

With SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out for the season, the Hornets felt it necessary to fortify their wing rotation. Despite the significant depth already in place at shooting guard, Charlotte still got good value here; this is in part due to PG's Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin presence making Roberts an expendable piece. Roberts was putting up 4.8 points in 11 minutes per game, which translates to an impressive 15.7 points per 36 minutes, meaning the Dayton product is more fit to be a legitimate backup point guard rather than a benchwarmer, like he was in Charlotte. They did well to squeeze maximum value out of him.

Lee is just a great type of player to have on your team, period. He plays superb defense, and is averaging 10 points on 37% shooting from three; also, according to advanced statistics, is 25th in the league in real scoring efficiency. With Charlotte clinging to the last playoff spot at 27-26, they had the right idea to upgrade from Hairston to Lee with this trade.

But at the same time, the argument could be made that Lee is somewhat redundant with SG's Troy Daniels and Jeremy Lamb, and is really just a slightly upgraded version of Hairston, who is still only 23 and a former first-rounder. As the Hornets also gave up two second-rounders in this deal, I'm going to have to split the pros and cons of the trade.


Grade: B


Trade Grades
Click here for like to Portland Trail Blazers Trade Grade

Hornets get: SF/SG Nicolas Batum
Blazers get: PF/C Noah Vonleh, SG/SF Gerald Henderson

Well, the Hornets replaced one lengthy defender that is coming off a disappointing season, with another. After star SG Lance Stephenson was dealt to the Clippers for a couple of role players, Charlotte decided to ship out a solid wing scorer and their most recent first-rounder in exchange for Stephenson’s replacement, Batum. The only question is: was it worth it?

SG/SF Gerald Henderson was and is a solid scorer, but not much more. The Duke product has averaged 14.2 points per game over the last four years, with that number dropping slightly to 12.1 this past year, all without a reliable three-point shot. He’s an average defender, but doesn’t do much in the rebounding or assisting departments. He was on a reasonable $6 million deal, but with go-to scorers like star PG Kemba Walker and C/PF Al Jefferson, the Hornets are clearly valuing shooters over above-average shot creators. Getting more of

PF/C Noah Vonleh, unlike Henderson, is a wild card that you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get from. He was the number nine pick in last year’s draft, and was actually supposed to go in the top five. It’s all about upside with Vonleh, as he was tagged as incredibly raw at the draft, but could possess superstar potential. He is a rare breed, one the can defend and block shots but also space the floor and knock down threes, along with excellent rebounding skills. His production this past year was expectedly poor: 3.3 points, and 3.4 rebounds in just 10.4 minutes per game. The day after the deal, Vonleh was replaced by sweet-shooting big man PF/C Frank Kaminsky in the draft. The Hornets are clearly looking to contend now, and Kaminsky is an upgrade over Vonleh in the short-term, but the roster now lacks anyone with superstar potential.

Batum is actually coming off a disappointing season, though the all-around star did post a career year just the season before. See the comparison for yourself:


Year        Games Played       Minutes        FG%          3PT%        Rebounds        Assists        Points

2014              82                        36.0             .465            .361               7.5                    5.1            13.0

2015              71                        33.5             .400            .324               5.9                    4.8              9.4

 
For starters, his offensive decline was most alarming. After becoming a respectable scorer in 2014 with admirable efficiency, particularly from beyond the arc, Batum’s numbers fell off a cliff this season, as did his percentages. Not to mention that he was also able to play all 82 games last season, and he also saw a considerable decline in his rebounding numbers. Batum’s owed a combined $24 million for the next two seasons, which is a reasonable contract for a player of his caliber. He will provide key spacing for low-post scorer star C/PF Al Jefferson, as well as a perimeter defensive ace that Charlotte has sorely needed. He will usurp SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s starting role, another strong defender with a below-average offensive game. There’s now a glaring hole at shooting guard after trading away their two best two-guards, and the Hornets must address that via free agency.

For all the knocks on Batum after his unexpected down year, I do legitimately believe that he will turn it around. He projects as a nice complementary piece for the Hornets. Henderson's skillset never really meshed with those of Walker and Jefferson’s, but I don’t like the idea of giving up on Vonleh this early. He was supposed to be bad year one, and was an optimal fit next to Jefferson down low. Charlotte clearly believes that they’re further along in their rebuilding process than they probably really are, and their shooting guard position is now wide open. They’re really rolling the dice here that they can land a quality two-guard via free agency, which wasn’t really a risk worth taking. To quote the movie Dodgeball: “That’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them.”

Grade: B-

Click here for the Oklahoma City Thunder Trade Grades

Trade Grades

Charlotte gave up: SF Matt Barnes, 2016 second-rounder
Charlotte got: SG Jeremy Lamb

Excellent move by the Hornets to partially cover up their glaring hole at shooting guard, while giving up next to nothing in exchange. PG/SG Luke Ridnour was actually in between here, as Barnes was dealt to the Grizzlies in exchange for the combo-guard (oddly, the swap occurred immediately after the Grizzlies had acquired Ridnour from the Magic). Then, the Hornets instantly turned around and traded Ridnour to the Thunder in the deal that’s bringing Lamb to Charlotte, if you follow. Since the in-between stuff doesn’t really matter from the Hornets’ perspective, I’ll just be grading who they gave up in the Ridnour-frenzy (Barnes and the second-rounder), and who they got (Lamb).

Barnes was acquired from the Clippers just a few days prior to this deal in the Lance Stephenson trade, and the 35 year old was never supposed to stick long in Charlotte. He’s a solid role player, averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds per game this past season, which is actually one of the better ones of his career. Barnes’ main attributes are his toughness, solid ability to stretch the floor as a shooter, and his defensive tenacity. With SF’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and now Nicolas Batum on Charlotte’s depth chart, Barnes was fairly expendable and the Hornets would never have really had a role for the vet. He’s better off in Memphis, where his skillset and physicality will fit right in. Not a big loss for Charlotte.

Second-rounders are really the penny stock of the NBA, having little value and generally just being throw-ins on deals. Sure, occasionally you’ll find a solid rotational piece, or even a starter, or a once-in-a-decade Manu Ginobili floating in round #2, but generally the picks never really pan out. They have little actual value other than merely being General Manager’s currency. For a Hornets team that is clearly looking to contend sooner rather than later, tossing in a second-round draft pick is really no big deal.

Jeremy Lamb is the ultimate prize of this deal. Picked 12th overall just three years ago, the Thunder were never able to carve out a role for the knockdown shooter, but that’s also partially on him. Lamb has been somewhat of a disappointment, as he averaged just 6.3 points per game and 0.8 threes on an average 34.2% shooting from downtown in just 13.5 minutes, and was injured for half the year. Perhaps most alarming is his lack of development, as he was slightly better across the board in 2014 than in this past season; this could cap his upside. However, this was just the perfect opportunity to buy-low on the youngster. Lamb is still an excellent three-point shooter and actually won a title at UCONN with Charlotte’s PG Kemba Walker. He has proven to be an excellent fit next to Walker before, and should be able to do the same at the next level.

All in all, this was a low-risk, high-reward trade for Charlotte: they gave up rather worthless assets in exchange for a young prospect with upside. Even if Lamb never really pans out, the worst he can be is a backup that can knock down threes. This plugs a hole for the Hornets, as they had a glaring deficiency at shooting guard after dealing away their best two players at that position (Gerald Henderson and Lance Stephenson). Charlotte also needed more three-point shooting, which is what they got in Lamb. They will probably need to do a thing or two at the two-guard spot via free agency anyways, but this is still a nice pickup at little to no cost.

Grade: A-

Click here for the Los Angeles Clippers' Trade Grade

Trade Grades

Hornets get: C Spencer Hawes, SF Matt Barnes
Clippers get: SG Lance Stephenson

Bolded stuff = most important points/summary/highlights

Highly questionable move by Michael Jordan and Co here. Obviously, Lance was coming off a disappointing season and Charlotte was a horrible fit for him. However, with his potential and reasonable, expiring contract, the Hornets should’ve been able to get value for him, rather than take on less than desirable contracts from role players, which is what happened.

Although coming off a very poor season with the Hornets where he averaged just 8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game on an abysmal 37.5% shooting from the field, Stephenson still oozes upside. Though his antics and lack of maturity hinder his value, in the right role Lance can be an All-Star. Prior to this season with Charlotte, he averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and a steal on an efficient 49% shooting with the Indiana Pacers en route to an All-Star snub. He is still a defensive force with incredible length (6’11” wingspan) that boasts a very well-rounded overall game: a fair comparison could be SF/SG Nicolas Batum (POR). Still just 24, Stephenson’s offensive game is capable of further development, which would make him a true star in this league. His contract is reasonable as well, as he’s owed just $9 million this year before a $9.4 million team option for next season. All of this adds up to Stephenson holding actual trade value, and potentially worth as much as a late first-rounder. He is surely worth more than what Charlotte got, which was next to nothing.

Barnes, one of the players the Hornets received in the deal, is on an expiring $3.5 million contract, and he’s no more than a role player. He averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds per game this past season, which is actually one of the better ones of his career. Barnes’ main attributes are his toughness, solid ability to stretch the floor as a shooter, and his defensive tenacity. According to reports, he’s actually expected to be waived by the Hornets.

Hawes, on the other hand, is an interesting case. He was very impressive two years ago on a depleted Philadelphia squad: 13 points, 8.5 rebounds, a combined 2 steals and blocks per game, all while knocking down 1.5 threes on a ridiculous 40% from beyond the arc. This past year, however, his minutes have been cut from 31.5 to 17.5 per game with the Clippers, and he’s only put up 6 points, 3.5 rebounds, a combined 1 steal and block per game, and made just 1 three on 31.5% shooting from downtown. Could he be just as effective as he was in Philadelphia with an uptick in minutes? Perhaps, but his overall numbers fell off from two years ago to this past season more than proportionally with the decrease in minutes. He’s a good shooter, especially for his height, and a serviceable defender as well, but his inability to utilize his size in terms of scoring inside and grabbing more rebounds is alarming. He will fight for minutes in a Charlotte frontcourt that was a touch short on depth up front prior to the deal. Hawes is owed $5.7 million a year through 2018, although that’s reasonable, the length of the deal is almost reliant on the fact that he will be able to develop into more than just a shooter.

All in all, the Hornets sacrificed a potential star for a couple of role players, one of which is on a less than desireable contract. They now lack depth on the wing more than ever, particularly at shooting guard, and must turn to both free agency and the draft to fill the void left by Stephenson. Still, Charlotte loses in this trade both talent-wise and financially, and it is unclear exactly which direction a once-promising team is heading now.

Grade: C-

Click here for the Minnesota Timberwolves Trade Grade


Trade Grades

Timberwolves get: SG Gary Neal, 2nd round pick
Hornets get: PG Mo Williams, SF Troy Daniels

This is a nice deal for Charlotte. With PG Kemba Walker out for about another month, the Hornets simply could not rely on PG Brian Roberts and the disappointing SG Lance Stephenson for ball-handling duties if they had any hope of making the playoffs. Williams ranks in the top 15 amongst all players in assists with 6.4  per game, and 12 points and 1.5 threes don’t hurt either, neither does his 52 point outburst earlier this season. Williams will assume the starting point guard role for the duration of Walker’s injury, and will also fight for more minutes in the backcourt even when Walker returns. However, dealing away a three-point shooter in Neal, who is averaging 9.5 points and 1 three a game, just didn’t seem to make much sense, especially on a team devoid of perimeter threats. Neal would be of little use to the Timberwolves’ young squad, so it’s not as if President Flip Saunders wouldn’t pull the trigger if Neal wasn’t involved. He could have been necessary to even out Williams’ contract and make the finances of the deal work, but there had to be less-important players that could have been shipped to Minnesota in order to make this deal work, especially when you consider how important Neal was in stepping up during SG Lance Stephenson’s disappointing year. Still, it’s not as if Neal was a star, or even a starter, and it is possible that young SF Troy Daniels, acquired in this deal, can replace Neal as a perimeter threat. Averaging 0.7 threes in just 7.3 minutes per game, it will be interesting to see if Daniels can even come close to maintaining those per-minute stats if handed a larger role. Also, only giving up a second-round pick for a player of Williams’ caliber has to be considered a win.

Grade: B+
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