[Krawczynski] “The Hornets are now clearly in a period of transition… the possibilities of Naz [Reid] getting traded again are very high… everything that made the Naz Reid experience special is not there in Charlotte.”
Maybe this is a hot take, but isn’t Naz Reid a perfect example of the idea of a player being better than the reality of a player?
Myles Turner has to be up there.
Another player I was never personally as high on as others, even at his peak. He always seemed like Roy Hibbert 2.0 (with a 3pt shot) tbf. Just so soft in the paint
Just terrible comparison. They play nothing alike
They were both softer big men who weren’t good rebounders. I’m not saying they were the same player, I’m saying some of the problems that had Pacer fans souring on Hibbert were also present with Turner.
Also mostly (but not totally) sarcastically, they both also played further from the basket for centers lol. Turners a shooter, and Roy loved him the running hook shot from the ft line
He’s a solid player, the Hornets just basicaly had him as the number 2 while Naz is suppossed to be your worst starter.
If he was on a team with a proper number 1 and 2 he would be a lot better and look good.
See that’s the problem, our 1-3 have been injured most of the season so far
He’s closer to the teams 4th best player, depending on how you feel about Coby white, team has just been super injured all season.
That’s pretty high expectations for a guy who has carved out his lane in the league as a great 6th man off the bench.
Spurs should consider him
I would love him as the #4 guy on the Celtics. He’d be awesome for us
Nah hes a very good player still, half their team is injured and frankly not well built to maximize his skill set or hide his weaknesses.
I agree 100%. He’s going to look good on good teams. Move him to a lottery team and it’s a different story. Most of his shots in Minnesota were fairly open and he wasn’t tasked with much besides playing defense. Grabbing rebounds. And shooting open 3s.
I don’t think anybody thought he was a superstar or anything though. He signed for 5⁄125 which is about right. There’s a lot of players in that salary range that are worse.
He plays smaller than he is
Naz Reid is virtually unplayable unless you have one of the top 5 or so rim protectors in the league next to him. Even in Minnesota any lineup with Naz but not Gobert was really bad. He just can’t defend either on the perimeter or the interior, nor is he a good rebounder despite the size.
He’s solid, but he’s also $25M/yr now. Not to say he can’t work in the right situation, but that isn’t an insignificant amount of money
It’s not that much though what’s the percentage of the cap? And keep in mind the cap should continue to rise
That’s a great contract for a player like him
I don’t think the point is that it’s a bad contract. It’s just that the standards go up when you’re no longer on an insane bargain deal.
Last year he averaged 13 and 6 on 56% TS with OK defense. That is spectacular production if he’s a role player on a cheap deal. For a guy making $25M, it’s maybe a little expensive. He isn’t quite the player Jabari Smith Jr or Jayden McDaniel is, but probably better value than Hartenstein or Bridges (all of whom make similar money). He’s a pretty mixed bag defensively which makes it tough to gauge his value as a big.
He doesn’t have an outright bad contract, but Lamelo Ball’s contract is equal to Reid + Schroeder. That’s tough for the Hornets! Hard to argue that you’d rather have Reid + Schroeder, even if it comes with a FRP a few years from now.
I agree with the poster above me. He’s a good player, but I’ve always felt the idea of Naz is better than the actual player. Not going to ruin your team’s financial situation, but there are better ways to spend your money
It’s really not - and his contract forced them to move on from KAT.
Lol bro go speak on the Luka trade or sum
Fr they reset a perfect timeline of young talent around ant it remains to be seen but at 19 Beringer already looks like a starter if he becomes an all star it’s gg my boy. lookin like Ric Bucher out here throwing around words for clicks
Results of the trade :
Timberwolves :
3 playoff series wins 25-26Joan Beringer (future starting center at minimum)DDVAbility to resign Naz who led to lamelo
Knicks : title
But ant at 23-24 wasn’t in his prime yet most players aren’t title ready see LeBron + MJ …..they wanted to be sure the team was ready when he was
Maybe I don’t know ball
But I’m doing
NazKatJoshua Jefferson pick2033 1st3 pick swaps2 2nds
For
LameloJoan BeringerDDVIsaiah Evans pick
All day given the roster construction and west matchups
That’s a good contract?
Naz can play the stretch 5. those aren’t just floating around the league on vet minimums.
He can not play stretch 5. He is too small and not good enough defensively.
…who has been the backup center for the twolves for the last like 3 or 4 years?
For context, Naz Reid is the 81st highest paid player in the NBA right now. It’s really not that bad of a deal.
That would make him the 3rd best player on the average team. It’s fine, but it’s not a value deal or anything
We definitely want him. Building around Ausar and Duren really pigeonholes us into specific player archetypes that do great in our system. It’s why the Duncyard Dog and Red Velvet are having good seasons for us. Naz would fit wonderfully tbh.
Would you give up Duren for him? Because otherwise it isn’t happening
Naz Reid is not worth Jalen fucking Duren lmao.
Lol no.
I could see the Celtics trading for him. Garza is a poor man’s Naz Reid, but he doesn’t offer enough to crack the playoff rotation. Naz would be a great pick and pop partner with Tatum and PG
Are they? He’s not a good rim protector and average at best rebounder who is too slow to defend wings and not a good enough rim protector to be your 5. It seems like he completely lacks the skills needed for someone his size.
He’s had big playoff and regular season games and won6th man of the year , teams definitely wanted him for floor spacing alone all you really need is a good defensive center next to him as has been shown
I’m saying he lacks the defensive skills needed for a guy his size. PJ is a bad example to compare him to, PJ has the defensive skills to be a rotational player on a contender, his issue is on the offensive end. This current Mavs team is not at all a contender nor should they be paying a guy like Nax $25M a year.
Just like quickly
They’re probably gonna flip Naz Reid for a bad return and then Hornets fans will doom about trading Lamelo Ball for 1 pick, a bunch of swaps that won’t convey, and whatever the Naz Reid package looks like.
This guy dooms
Kings fan, they’ve been forged in the darkness
Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man (98-06), by then it was nothing to me but blinding! The shadows betray you, because they belong to me! (16 yr drought)
when my son and I watch Magic games we can’t stop doing the Bane voice whenever Desmond Bane gets the ball. It’s hopeless.
…says the guy whose team has been to the conference finals…
…and had a number one pick…
…and had an MVP.
Was about to comment the same - probably one of the franchises that are professional doomers because of how poorly they’re run.
Can you really call those Kings fans doomer even? I mean, dooming involves predicting worst possible outcomes for your team, seeing the negatives and doubting the reality of any positive thing happening. And I am looking to Kings organization and I can’t tell the difference between realist approach and dooming, so… is it dooming? I don’t even see much homer among Kings fans. If no homer, then no doomer imo.
Man I used to be there. There’s hope!
professional doomers
According to Bill Simmons, they’re also professional comedians
We are the harbingers of bad management to come. Your owners shall refuse to pay players for not being championship contenders, and doom the roster to be filled with players who can’t win 30 games.
Give it away, give it away, give it away now!
Wizards fan too, our sub is spiraling atm, even idiots who want to extend ad…
I learned from the best. Experience Avengers: Doomsday in Infinity Vision on December 18th!
Look at his flair 😭
It’s really hard being a frequent visitor to r/charlottehornets if you care to feel any kind of hope or warm feelings about… anything Hornets related.
Congrats on your new senator at least!
something something take your shirt off twist it round your hand spin it like a helicopter
We all knew Roy was gonna win if anything I’m surprised he only got 66%
Dude I can’t go on the nets sub anymore because of that reason.
If you ever wanted a modern version of Dante’s Inferno…
idk where you’re supposed to go for that, an alternate universe?
nowhere - i’ve just followed the team my whole life - they’ve always been bad and i’ve always been optimistic and patient because being otherwise doesn’t do me any good in an otherwise fucked up horrifying world.
Plus i’m very tired of reading people relitigate the Lamelo trade. I prefer to just root for the team when the game is on win or lose. If we win all the better.
Sounds… like exactly what everybody thought when the trade happened initially. Complete idiots at the helm.
I don’t care how many times someone tries to explain it, that was a TERRIBLE trade in every way the second it happened. Like, okay, you didn’t think LaMello is your guy, fine. But how is dumping him for one first round pick helping the team in any way? They were finally clicking and looking good towards the end of last year, and just as fans were getting excited, the FO just needlessly slams the door. Why? How is this a better situation than keeping LaMello, energizing the fan base with some possible playoff appearances and meeting the team grow? Now they’re just right back to being terrible. Kon and Miller are great, but they’re not #1 guys.
Yup, they had been building chemistry with that same roster at that point. As you said, if there was a specific player they wanted I get it, but Naz Reid?
Naz for Sabonis would be a funny timeline too
Going from Lamelo to Sabonis would make me stop being a fan immediately
Hornets went from Lamelo to Naz Reid so it’s not like there are many fans left. Most of them are probably watching college hoops now.
Eric Collins and Dell Curry will keep me tuning no matter what. Even through numerous injuries to key guys and some of the worst offense in the league this year.
Brother, I’ve been a hornets fan since they came to CLT in 1988, I’m a sicko. Also, college hoops don’t have the soap opera we get in the NBA. Never gonna stop watching.
At least the streets are safer.
It’s the first time we’ve been able to watch our games over antenna as long as you’re in NC, and I have like no desire to watch the majority of our games this year.
What about trading Deni for Bub Carrington?
You guys ent from Avdija to Trae and AD? This is better?
Avdija->Trae/AD
Lamelo->Sabonis
I loved Avdija but let’s not act like these are the same lol
Yes I would say going from Deni to Trae+AD is much better than going from Lamelo to Sabonis
look at who they drafted
I legitimately like Naz for Sabonis, and whatever filler to get the deal done. Grant Williams?
It’ll be dennis shroeder again lol
Actually even better. Acuff literally has no backup point guard and I didn’t have any real issues with Dennis on our team, and he’s a partial guarantee. Maybe we can flip him again lol.
plz
Yeah I bet you do lol
Naz would probably be pissed getting downgraded to an even worse team.
Well if he doesn’t want to be in Charlotte for real?
Then GOOD.
Honestly that’s probably what happens
We are quite fortunate that the Bulls’ and Hornets’ stupidity genuinely saved our future
After seeing Dame back in Portland I think the world deserves to see Naz back in Minnesota
the whole league is looking for a quality backup center the market for Naz will be sizzling
He’s not a center and the defense really suffers when teams pretend otherwise.
Plus 25M a year for a backup? Never liked that contract for him.
He can absolutely be a backup 5 in today’s league, especially with the dearth of backup centers
Spurs could offer a couple ok picks and a player, I’ll wager
Maybe Portland, and yeah others too I’m sure
Knicks could send Bridges out and take back Naz + whatever to reduce salary, reunite with KAT
Naz is really more of a 4 though unless you have some nice defenders with him
Can I interest you in a #3 pick your fan base literally booed the gm for passing on?
Wouldn’t surprise me with this front office.
Eh. I’m not upset about the Melo trade. They seem very intent on building a culture in Charlotte which is more than I can say for anything happening with the Hornets since 1998. For better or worse Melo didn’t fit in that vision. I’m willing to let it play out.
Can’t be worse than the Jazz
exactly what’s gonna happen
This guy is some random TimberWolves reporter. No inside knowledge of what’s going on in Charlottes front office or the locker room. Has absolutely no sources from inside another team. This is pure speculation, I’m not saying Naz has no shot of getting traded but if that was the case this guy wouldn’t be the one to know. I don’t think Charlotte would trade him in his 1st year with the team.
tbf, it never made sense to trade Lamelo, especially for that package.
I doubt they will get a first for him. Maybe a swap or two and a young player.
Hornets front office was like: “hold up, we were way too successful to close out the last season. Time to return to our roots”
It’s so bullshit because Charles Lee is an amazing coach.
He finally got his system implemented, with a healthy roster full of players that complemented that system, and they were one of the best teams after the All Star Break. They lose 1 game to get eliminated, and they decide to blow the whole thing up.
He deserved to at least have up to the trade deadline this season to see if they could continue that success. Instead, he’ll probably get scapegoated and eventually fired.
I can understand that they might not want to have built around LaMelo long term as a max player but to trade him for only one pick and from a team constantly high seeded is malfeasance.
I’d rather have just let Lamelo run the risk of expiring and walking then just settle for that.
You have no idea what the Wolves will look like 7 years from now. Ant has a bad knee and Gobert will be out of the league.
I want you to know I’m on your side brother
Two bad knees tyvm
Plus, with the new lottery rules, FRP swaps with a good team are closer to ending up as lottery picks than they used to be. Ant has been fighting some injuries over the last year, LaMelo is injury prone, and Gobert seems to be slowing down (only on offense though, still amazing rim protection). If they fall to the 9th seed and lose the play-in, that’s the sweet spot for picks now. You don’t want to swap your pick with a bottom of the league team anymore.
The return for LaMelo was underwhelming, but I don’t think it was crazy to trade him. If the Hornets were healthy, I think they would a .500 team. A combination of an iffy trade and bad health has made it look even worse though
Whats also crazy is that the Magic were going to beat a 60+ win Detroit team before Franz went down, they clearly werent just some shitter.
While I agree with this, basically any time teams ramped up the physicality the hornets crumbled, and this was a theme every year with Lamelo.
I obviously havent had LaMelo on my team for long but he’s handled physicality well so far. He had a masterclass in the 4th vs the Rockets while guarded by Amen.
this has a lot to do with the platoon of garbage Cs Mitch and Jeff were content rolling with during their times here.
like… no shit a team struggles with physicality when they have employed some combo of: Cody Zeller, Nick Richards, Kai Jones, Mason Plumlee, [Mark Williams - the lone very good big man here, but struggled with physicality after his back injury], Pokusevski, Nathan Mensah, rapidly declining Nurkic, 39yo Taj Gibson, Kalkbrenner, and Moussa Diabate (he’s good, but more athletic than physical, he’s undersized will get owned by the Durens of the league)
and throughout the entire era, ran a 6’6 SF at PF (Miles Bridges)
Nah bro.
You can’t constantly talk about how unfair it is to judge the team without everyone healthy, then turn around and blame the teams lack of physicality on one guy. Especially not now that Lamelo is gone and we still got dog walked by a far more physical Detroit team. Miles was the only dude who didn’t crumble under increased physicality, but I don’t see you going to bat for him, or shitting on anyone other than Lamelo.
I’d hope we fire our GM before we fire Lee, he’s the one who fucked this team up.
Not like bringing in a new coach with this roster is going to make a difference anyway.
they did the right thing getting out of lamelo. look at his seasons. the guy can barely play. last season he played 72 games, with 28 minutes average and that’s a miracle. he played 51, 75, 36, 22, 47, 72 games. that’s 50 games per season. and he is a max contract player. i wish he stays healthy, cause he is fun to watch, but highly doubt it. wolves just rolled the dice to get one healthy season and maybe a ring. we’ll see if it works out.
It’s the Eastern Conference version of when the Kings traded Halliburton for Saboner. The positions work out too. Center for a PG.
Sabonis is miles ahead of Reid
That was a good deal for both teams. Both teams reached their full potential because of that.
“Lamelo looks like he might be trying to truly become a winning player. Hope the Timberwolves really get the most out of him!”
Dude this got me screaming. The accuracy
I like it when teams honor their long standing traditions.
Haven’t we suffered enough
The whole go for the ring or blow it up just doesn’t work for an organization like this who has had no history of success.
I never understood the LaMelo trade. You finally had a team fans could get excited about for the first time in how many decades? Were they ever going to be a contender as constructed no but I don’t think that has to be the only thing front offices look at. In the situation they were in a playoff team that was fun to watch would have done wonders for their fanbase. Now fans are pissed again that they’ll have to go through more losing seasons without really a direct path to get back to what they were on the precipice of which was a regular playoff team
To a point I can see what the front office was thinking. You do ultimately need a great #1 guy to compete at a high level and Lamelo is not that. The Wolves were “fine” with KAT as the #1 but it wasn’t until they got Ant that they started to compete.
So if the plan is to sell high on Melo and tank for a new/better #1 that’s fine, but it’s also completely random whether you get that guy, and you’re telling fans they’ve gotta wait another 2-3 (likely more) years before they’ll get to see “good” basketball again, because even if they get the next great player, it’s going to take them some time to work out the winning part.
That said, frankly, I don’t buy the “culture” shit. I’ve seen just about every single Wolves player now talk about how much happier they are this season and how much fun they’re having on the team. You can’t tell me that doesn’t translate to wins.
You could look at this the complete opposite way and say that they weren’t able to compete without depth. Which, I know, runs contary to the oft-spouted and repeated narrative that it only takes one star to win in the NBA. But in most Team Sports, you need a competitive and successful team AROUND stars in order to win.
Yeah while KAT isn’t exactly a player who carries a team by himself, he certainly had the potential to lead the team to the playoffs, he just had utter shit around him for the most part. I mean, we got Jimmy and went to the playoffs immediately. I know people like to say that was all Jimmy’s doing but that was also kind of the first time (since KG left) that KAT had more than one decent teammate around.
It’s also basically how rebuilding happens. You don’t draft all your new franchise guys in one draft. It takes a couple of years to build up depth and talent.
The issue is, while yes it is completely random to how long it takes to get That Guy, what other options are there to get them? They almost never hit free agency anymore, and when they do they go to big markets or actual title contenders. The only ones ever up for trade are up for trade aren’t players the hornets or other small market deadbeats are ever in contention for. None of these players are of building-around age either, it’s not like tyrese haliburton or tyrese maxey etc are ever on the trade market.
The FO said the quiet part that other teams won’t say out loud: “We are willing to suck however long it takes if it means we can get a #1 tentpole superstar to build around.”
Yea, it’s a tough spot. In theory you can hope to find a Hali/Giannis/SGA at the 12 pick, but that’s even more rare than a top 5 pick working out.
I do think with the new lottery odds the trade makes a bit less sense than it would have in previous years. If they keep Melo they get to push for the playoffs and get Kon/Miller some playoff experience, maybe build some more winning tendencies for the guys on the team, and if they miss the playoffs you’ve still got the best odds of a top pick you could get. Now you’ve got a team of dudes pissed off they’re wasting a year of their careers on a losing team and you risk your pick being relegated if things don’t turn around.
But really we won’t know if it was a good trade until the end of the year to see if Melo’s value goes up (good playoff run) or down (gets hurt and misses key games).
Honestly, I think it’s just the way it is that drafting is still going to be the best option these teams have. There’s no high-percentage way that exists to get what you need, and that was the case even under the previous rules. Hornets probably said “8% is still 8% and it’s the best we got, so it’s what we have to deal with.” In the prior rules it was only 14%.
Yeah that’s the thing with the “hope” that an asset works out when the organization has been historically one of the worst at drafting.
I think to pull the rug out of the excitement that fans had for the group they had was really shitty and k just don’t see the plan they have
and you’re telling fans they’ve gotta wait another 2-3 (likely more) years before they’ll get to see “good” basketball again, because even if they get the next great player, it’s going to take them some time to work out the winning part.
especially with the new draft system. It’s more of a crapshoot than ever.
He couldn’t stay healthy and they were about to have to pay him a massive salary or let him walk, so they traded while his value was high.
You’ll notice good offers weren’t pouring in either.
Yeah, and he’s also been fairly immature off the court. Combine that with his injury history I completely understood moving him when his value was high. If that was the best they could get then, what would it have been if they’d waited and he had another injury riddled season?
They took a calculated risk and everyone with short attention spans is ripping them with hot takes…..jury is still out IMO
You call trading for Naz reid selling high ?
And an unprotected 1st Rounder, which appears to be as high as it was going to get (which says a lot).
If good offers weren’t pouring in then did they really sell high?
Precisely. They did not. The people who think they did just didn’t like him as a person.
They sold as high as it was going to get, yes.
Then just risk him walking at the end and enjoy him for three more years under contract.
If all I was getting back was one pick - then just roll the dice and see if you can pull magic elsewhere in your salary cap and playoffs for the next 3 years. That is a long time that you could’ve attempted to figure it out before jumping ship.
3 to 5 picks - sure, that’s a justifiable gamble. One is ridiculous
Three more years of constant injuries, cap space, and potential chemistry issues?
He was really fun to watch and l have nothing against him, but he was at his trade ceiling. Better to get something (potentially a high lottery pick).
Hi Jeff!
All they achieved was raising the ceiling of a solid, playoff hardened team in MN.
I think it was understandable because LaMelo was injury prone and there was definitely behind the scenes stuff, but they totally messed with a good thing rather foolishly.
Also like, they just had a historic rookie season from Kon and wild net rating stuff. Obviously not the expected outcome, but wouldn’t you kick the tires on a Reggie Miller trajectory before you gave up on that team contending?
“were they ever going to be a contender as constructed, no” you can just stop right there, that’s the entire plot. What the FO wants and what the fans wanted are different things. The FO is brought on to try and win a title at some point. ANd if people want FOs to look at different things, then they should stop perpetuating the ring culture that pervades american sports.
I also don’t believe that many hornets fans would be satisfied if we took the other path, kept lamelo, and had 3 straight 1st rd exits as an 8 seed. The grass is always greener, we’d be bitching that the team kept this core together and settled for “okay” when they had a chance to get out of it.
That’s the thing. Ring culture is only a thing to the best of the best. If you haven’t won a single round in the playoffs in 25 years why not try and just cross that hurdle, bring your fans some joy before worrying about blowing it up and going after a championship which just sound crazy for them.
They saw the east was deep and didnt like their odds.
Maybe they could get a PG for him. The Wolves managed to trade him for LaMelo Ball
Scoot Henderson get ready to learn hornet buddy
Naz Reid in PDX would be lowkey kinda sick but Scoot doesn’t fill the Lamelo-size hole that’s left there. Not a lot of PGs do
If you remember the new owners wanted him over Brandon but MJ still had the final say then.
I do remember that. I was kinda butthurt cause I really wanted Miller and was all but convinced we were going to get him until that report came out that MJ didnt like Scoot that much. And in all honesty, MJ made the right call.
his bust status is so depressing. I know he hasn’t exactly showered himself in glory but I feel like he hasn’t always gotten the opportunity afforded most top lottery picks
Maybe the Hornets should trade for LaMelo, he would fit the Hornets perfectly.
Can you imagine how many firsts it would take to get a winning player like LaMelo?
I doubt he’d want to go to a play in team when he’s going after the chip with Ant
Edit. People don’t think I’m funny, huh? 😅
If they’re ever on the court at the same time
Who knew trading your franchise player would result in a freefall
Kneuppel is also injured. The current analysis can only judge the team based on losing two high volume three shooters when permanently they’ve only lost one. Technically three since Brandon Miller is currently out too
Brandon Miller being out has rejuvenated their offense tho
I mean for one game lol. The issue with our offense so far is that we are shooting 30% on wide open 3s. This will almost certainly not hold all season and id expect us to finish the season around like 20th in offense not last.
Everybody knew. This trade wasn’t about the first month of this season.
Yeah, I’m not sure why anyone (aside from those trying to sell tickets) would think the trade didn’t signify a rebuild for Charlotte.
The only way the trade makes sense is if they felt Ball couldn’t maintain his health and wanted assets for him while he was at peak value.
Only thing that I find crazy is that apparently peak value for Lamelo was Naz Reid + one FRP + some swaps that are unlikely to convey + seconds which you can buy for cash.
If that really is peak value I personally would have considered holding him the much better move even with the questions about his health, a solid point guard can do wonders for young guys development even if youre only getting 40-50 games out of them
I definitely hear you, but I feel like it’s very important context to remind people that around last year’s trade deadline, LaMelo was in the same conversation as Trae Young and Ja Morant of “do you just trade this guy for scraps just to get rid of him.” His value was at an absolute low point after he picked up yet another ankle injury. That all flipped in a matter of months, and now people are saying a first, swaps, and an elite sixth man was too little.
Yeah I kinda agree, I think that was a bit of Tim Connelly Magic. Probably also has a little to do with our marketing team turning Naz Reid into a household name in Minnesota.
People always forget about the money aspect in all this. The Hornets didn’t want to pay 2 guys who couldn’t get past the play-in near max contracts.
I partially agree with you here. Maybe LaMelo’s trade value could’ve gone higher and the vibes from last season would’ve gone a long way to build culture.
Also maybe he gets back to playing 40 games a season and waste the chance to recoup value and build around Kon and BMill, and have to end up attaching assets to dump LaMelo’s salary. I really don’t know, I don’t have his medical records, but it is at least defensible to do so.
I think people underestimate how crippling the apron system is for teams trying to build something sustainable. Our FO saw what we have in Miller and Kon, and decided to build around them. Having LaMelo take up so much cap space with the injury risk was clearly not a good option to Jeff so he striked when the opportunity presented itself.
Yeah I think this is fair. I guess the FO felt strongly they needed to move him while his value was rehabbed like it was. I also think it’s fair to ask if Miller should’ve been traded instead.
some swaps that are unlikely to convey
The new lottery rules make those swaps a little more valuable. This isn’t the old lottery where a swap with the Clippers or the Bucks would be best in the league. The Wolves don’t have a whole lot of depth (although their backups are killing without Ant rn), so LaMelo being injury prone, Ant dealing with knee issues, and Gobert continuing to age could make those swaps good. Remember, the play-in losers have the best odds in the draft now. Still an underwhelming return for their franchise guy, but I don’t think those swaps should be considered nothing
You found the plot. They felt they couldn’t maintain his health and wanted assets for him while he was at peak value. They felt the risk of waiting for another healthy season and a potentiall bigger return was not worth the potential reward.
People looooove to dunk on the Hornets for the trade, as if everybody thought LaMelo was a megastar and the return really was “nAz ReId AnD a EiGhTh GrAdEr” and not a good, young role player entering his prime, pick swaps (which with the new lottery odds are even more valuable), and a premium pick seven years into the future that can be used to trade for a star or to rebuild if this current iteration of the team doesn’t work.
And the trade’s outcome can’t be judged right now, let’s see what we do with our assets but our FO has actually been hitting for the past few years with our trades. We got Greyson Allen and an unprotected first for MILES FUCKING BRIDGES. We also got 1st rounders for Rozier and PJ Tucker, the FO has been actually great IMO.
If Naz Reid is a “young role player entering his prime”. Then what is LaMelo as a player that’s two years younger?
A younger, not just a role player, not yet even entering his prime? Still looks real bad.
Dont think I’ll ever forgive your FO for separating Kon and LaMelo. Last year was so much fun to watch Hornets basketball.
Yeah this offseason, or maybe even the trade deadline should be interesting for Hornets fans.
Not to count our chickens before they hatch, but maybe it’ll be a bit like the last few years for the Wolves, where we traded a beloved star for roster flexibility, had a couple seasons of disappointing play, and now look like a much more complete team (or at least a more complementary roster).
But the return really is Reid and an 8th grader. The pick swaps are fluff, and how do you know it’s even gonna be a premium pick? Also good grief how much have hornets fans given up if they’re already like “well we can trade that pick in 7 years to help our rebuild that we’ll be starting then!”. Just stuck in perpetual rebuilding mode, now and forever
I still think they should’ve tried to see if they could’ve gotten Stephon Castle or the Clippers pick that became Keaton Wagler or the Kings pick that became Acuff.
But maybe they had their sights focused solely on Naz.
There is 0 chance the spurs were trading castle for him lol. I also don’t see any team trading away a top 10 pick from last years class for Lamelo. The league isn’t quite as high on him as you guys are.
I just don’t Think there were a ton of suitors for Lamelo last year.
If I’m being cynical I might say that Naz being a fan favorite was part of it. Maybe they were looking for someone flashy l keep butts in seats while they rebuilt rather than like a perfect fit.
From what I can gather, it was a bet on Brandon Miller being able to evolve into a genuine alpha on a winning team, which currently looks unlikely but until everyone’s healthy it’s too early to judge. Kon is great but is never going to be the number one guy on a contender, and most of the rest of the players are basically sixth-man level guys the team hopes will eventually evolve into starters on a quality team.
Otherwise, what else is there? The hope they someday luck into a top 10-in-the-league player? Or trade for one for the first time ever? The trade seemed misguided to me from the start - the offence relied hugely on LaMelo’s playmaking and that isn’t easy to get back with [INSERT RANDOM PG]. But hey, at least the team got to stay $30 million under the luxury tax.
Let’s hope it’s not about the second or third either
I can confirm it is not.
You say that but a large number of people in this sub were saying Lamelo is not a winning player and the Hornets will be better off from the trade.
The ringer podcast intelligentsia assured me they would only take a slight step back
Our FO is beyond stupid.
Their primary value in the trade was for picks years and years and years down the line. Here are the possible scenarios:
They package these in a trade, which can get a player that is the same caliber as Lamelo was in the first place, if not worse. Said player would be a disgruntled star wanting a trade, and unlike Lamelo who was happy here, likely wouldnt re-sign with us. Our new heights with said star player would likely be 40-50 wins and maybe some sparks in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe some great overall underlying team analayitcs. Which we already had, last year.
They themselves won’t even be around to use said picks. If we continue losing and missing the playoffs, 2033 pick swaps won’t even be used by this FO, as they will get canned long before.
We keep and use the picks. In which case we not only punted Lamelo’s future, but also kon and miller’s as well. They will be older and their careers wasted while we wait for the 7th pick in 2033 to save us.
There is no winning outcome here. We aren’t going to get Kon back, look like world beaters, then trade for some superstar and win a title.
This is the worst trade in sports history. Bar none. Luka’s was a fleece for dallas compared to this.
We destroyed our present, destroyed our future, destroyed what we built, and are wasting the careers of the only stars we even have.
Damn, you have really strong opinions about this trade. I wholeheartedly disagree but I guess we’ll just have to see.
The picks are weird too, most of them are swaps which means for them to convey they need the Wolves to be worse than the Hornets over the next few years. So, it’s like, if you’re rebuilding and expecting to “get worse to get better” then why are you betting that your rebuilding team will be better than a team that has been to the playoffs the last few years and is getting the better player of the deal.
It just was a weird deal for the Hornets. I don’t know if I buy worst trade all time but it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Oh man, I promise there are worse trades out there. Luka is an MVP candidate every year that he’s healthy, been to the conference finals 3 times and been in the Finals once, and he’s been traded twice. The NBA froze Cleveland’s ability to trade draft picks because Ted Stepien was so loose with them. The Nets traded 4 first round picks for old KG and Pierce. Not to mention KG to the Celtics in the first place. The Bucks traded away Kareem after he was already a 3x MVP and 1x FMVP for… not much. Lakers Westbrook. You could read up on the Clippers trading for Paul George and the aftermath of all that too. Pelicans trade up in the draft for Queen. The Suns have had a troubled trade history in the last 5 years. And this is only the NBA, not sports history.
This might not even be the worst Hornets trade. They could have had Kobe instead of 2 years of Vlade Divac.
Doesn’t help that all the guys who can dribble and pass were or are still hurt. Brandon Miller isn’t a go-get-a-bucket first option at this point.
Exactly. Before injury, Brandon Miller has had to create for himself as if he were SGA or Luka or something.
Because they don’t view him as a franchise player. The players they view as their current franchise cornerstones are injured right now.
People are overblowing this. They’re 4-7 not 1-10
I mean, I think it’s obvious that they knew they would be taking a step back this season.
They just got extra fucked with these injuries to begin the season.
Their ownership will sell the fans and tickets on a vision 5 years down the line that never materialize. Because perpetual rebuild is more fun than maybe making the playoffs or something
At least tickets are about \(8 and they have a \)2 concession menu
That’s a really good deal. I wonder how many locals treat it as an NBA subscription and see away teams
Prices go up a decent amount if the away teams are good/exciting. I think get in price for the Sixers game was $80+. But weekday tickets against some of the smaller teams are often even cheaper than going to AAA baseball games in the same city.
People just don’t go to the games because excitement is pretty low. It’s sad when I compare it to last year when we were packing the house during weeknights, something I hadn’t even seen in prime Kemba days.
When my team was ass I was paying about \(40/game and \)8/beer to see KAT and Wiggins. And those were 2018 dollars (admittedly lower bowl instead of get in the door price)! Your prices are amazing
We are at about the same for lower bowl + beer. The $2 concessions is some very cheap items such as hotdogs, sodas, chips, and a couple of other items. But the get in price is still pretty crazy and the stadium isn’t in a difficult location.
Sound like you have experience in that space?
It was once so bad there was a deal in Minnesota where an actual ticket to an actual NBA game would be given to you for free if you bought 4 cans of corn.
Fuck Glenn Taylor
When I was in college they did \(5 Student Nights on Wednesdays. You'd get your \)5 upper-level ticket and then just walk down and sit wherever you wanted because the place was empty and nobody gave a shit
That’s actually crazy. What a turn around for the wolves.
Been telling this to fans and eat downvotes everytime for it. No better job security for FO suits than a forever rebuild
When did we make the playoffs with Melo? We are in the exact same spot in the standings as we were at the end of last year
Yeah this is exactly how the Hornets are ran. I grew up 20 mins from Charlotte and loved the Hornets as a kid in the 90’s. Team was competitive, merch was dope, franchise had tons of support from the locals and was well ran.
In 2002 that franchise unfortunately disappeared to New Orleans and hasn’t been seen since. Everything about the absolute slop that was the Bobcats sucked. Ugly colors, ugly logo, shitty staff and terrible teams. Bobcats tickets were literally like $8. It was outrageous. Changing the name back to the Hornets was putting lipstick on a pig, it’s a poverty franchise.
I moved to the Boston area 10 years ago and my interest in Basketball was reignited watching a young, promising team with a winning organization behind them. Watching Tatum/Brown grow together and eventually win a chip made me a Celtics fan for life, but my heart still hurts to see how poorly the Hornets are ran.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk
The new ownership group is trying to fix all of this and they are so far better owners than MJ but this is a bold move
Try 2!
Charlotte lost Melo and Bridges. Kon has been hurt and White just returned from injury.
This should have been a transition year by virtue of losing 2 of their best players (Melo and Bridges). I don’t know what they were expecting when Naz probably has been their most talented player in the games Brandon Miller has been hurt.
Bridges sucks, the fact we got a future suns first and Grayson Allen for him is an absolute coup.
Why didn’t they just the 1st overall pick, are they stupid
you’re not winning jack shit with lamelo ball as your franchise player lol
It’s been 10 games without their most impactful player in Kon lol
And Coby White, And Brandon Miller, and Grant Williams. The injury tsunami makes it impossible to actually judge what they are yet.
Moose has missed games and Shroder is out multiple weeks now too.
Well Schroder being out is actually a net positive but the point stands
Miller has played in 10⁄11 games.
So? Not having your entire starting back court and a vet leader to begin the season and then losing the highest paid guy, the starting center and the vet back up PG means they have had no continuity.
Brandon out again? Jesus…
Wasnt the main justification for trading LaMelo his health?
Dont worry all of us understand the irony here
But I mean, he has an actual track record of bad health, this has just been a bad luck. There’s a clear difference, don’t be dense.
Brandon MIller does too. Kon also played 1 season in the league and already has hamstring injuries, couldnt make it past 6 minutes before re-aggravating it.
Didnt Kon also play through an injury to end the year?
It’s very easy to rush back from a soft tissue injury, happens all the time. Re-aggravating soft tissue is extremely easy to do. I’m sure him and the team wanted them back as soon as possible, and it was too soon. Miller I can concede a little bit on that point, but he did just have the corrective surgery that he played through last year and it seems to have made a big difference. Melo missed half of his overall time with us, that’s a pattern not a fluke. He had his first healthy season with us in 4 years and we limited him to 28mpg.
Kon is great but he doesn’t really solve their problems
He solves a lot of their problems. He was the league leader in made threes last year and this team cannot shoot. They’ve been awful at shooting outside of Grayson Allen and even Reid has had games where he went 0 for 6 and 2 for 8 from three. They were also going to use Kon more like a facilitator this year like he was at Duke. It’s just been a catastrophic year for them in terms of overall injuries.
a large part of why Kon led the league in 3s last year was because LaMelo was constantly dishing him open looks.
They traded their offensive engine and primary playmaker. Kon is a Klay Thompson. He’s amazing but he’s not driving the bus
Kon in games without LaMelo averaged slightly better numbers than cooper Flagg last year on much higher efficiency. I don’t understand why people keep acting like this is the best he’ll ever be, he averaged damn near the same numbers as Flagg but also on near 50 40 90 shooting. He also doesn’t play like Klay Thompson, he’s a better playmaker and is a 3 level scorer. I think he’ll be fine without LaMelo, especially because we lead the league in open looks. Imagine if instead of Sion James taking an open three, it’s Kon Kneuppel.
Kon has a significantly higher ceiling than Klay does because of his ability to work within an offense and case in point would be nobody would dare build a team around Klay but you can absolutely slot Kon next to literally any PG in league history and he would thrive because of his ability to initiate an offense on his own.
As far as potential those are two vastly different players in the IQ department.
How people do not fucking get this is hilarious.
Kon was a league average shooter when LaMelo was off the court. He’s not a high volume pull up guy that just fixes your shooting like Ant, Curry, LaMelo, Luka, he’s a guy like Klay that if you have the right system to get him 3s in the right spots he’ll shoot lights out.
Thats largely because those were self generated 3s when Lamelo was off the court. Shooting 37% on self generated 3s as a rookie is extremely impressive.
You’re delusional if you think Kon makes a significant change in this roster. They were dumb for trading Melo, and now they’ll have to trade Naz.
We’ll never know because half the team has been in street clothes this year. They haven’t fielded a healthy team the entire year and likely won’t until January. It’s impossible to ascertain what they currently have.
It’s delusional to think a team getting their best player back would make them play better?
Tbf not like Lamelo would be solving these early injury problems either
He absolutely helps the problems. We’re 27th in early offense, 30th in mid clock offense, and 29th in late shot clock offense. We’re 28th in 3PT% despite being 1st in 3PTA.
One of our biggest problems, if not our biggest, is having a starting C who excels at OReb and a team plan to crash the ORebs to kick back out for 3, but no 3pt shooters who can hit a shot.
Kon helps in literally every facet of our current flaws lol.
Nobody could’ve foreseen a moody role player not being happy on a worse team than he was on before.
He was 6MOTY, so role player is kinda underselling him. And his sister was murdered right before last season started so I don’t think it’s fair to call him moody. When Finch made those comments I’m pretty sure he was talking exclusively about Julius.
Look I feel for the guy, but Naz was a moody player before last year, too. I don’t think it was exclusively Julius. Hell, he was probably also talking about Jaden, who can get into his own head occasionally.
He was super inconsistent on a night to night basis. Because he was a fan favorite and we watched and rooted for his growth, it makes sense that we would celebrate his successes louder than we’d bemoan the nights he’d come out and be like 1-10 shooting (which were pretty frequent)
We were also a deep enough contending team that we could survive an off-night where Naz was forcing things a little too much. Which is not a position that Charlotte is in especially with their injuries.
Yeah I was never really sold on him as a starting-level player, even if I enjoyed him as a person and his story. I’ve maintained that Naz’s value is the greatest trick our marketing team ever pulled off.
Not that Naz didn’t contribute with his regular highlights, or deserve recognition, but him being Naz “NAZ REID” Reid helped cover for him being a terrible defender and a very up and down scorer.
Remember how Jaden fractured his right hand 3-4 years ago against the pels?
He also gets pissed if he feels he’s been worked on a few calls
Naz is moody. If he misses his first few threes, he’s almost guaranteed to be in foul trouble off frustration. Ant and McDaniels had to expend a lot of effort keeping him focused.
I feel for the Reid family tho. Hope they’re doing well.
He always had an edge to him, but it only seemed to come out during games. Never seemed like a moody guy in interviews or any behind the scenes stuff I saw, but I’m just a fan so there’s no way I can know. Julius on the other hand has had a reputation and he was moody even in post game interviews at times. I just don’t think Finch would say that about Naz knowing what he went through last year, but again maybe he did. My interpretation could be wrong.
6th men are, almost always, role players. Otherwise, they’d be starters.
well starters can be role players too, but yeah idk why OP thinks 6MOTY = not a role player. 6MOTYs are exclusively role players
True! Almost every good starting lineup has at least one role player in the 5. Sometimes 2. Roles must be played.
In my mind good 6th men are better than role players, and essentially starters that come off the bench. They play starter minutes but their position is stacked or they anchor the bench so well that putting them in the starting lineup would hurt the team.
Lou Williams is almost the definition of a role player. He did almost nothing but hit 3s.
Like Manu Ginobili and Lou Williams were capable of being above average starters
Holy shit, that’s technically true but incredibly misleading.
Manu was capable of being a starter on any team and one of the best players in the league (who would have been a first option at least half the league at his peak, if that’s what he wanted), while Lou Will was capable of winning 6MOY on teams that didn’t have anyone who could create on their 2nd string.
It’s like saying the Beatles and Nickelback both had #1 hits. Factually correct but also, come the fuck on.
Otherwise, they’d be starters.
Kinda depends on who the starters are and also, most teams have 2 or 3 role players starting.
Especially not one traded from Minnesota to the eastern conference!
This is all based on speculation and vibes btw, trash reporting. Most of our starters have been injured since before game 1, let’s evaluate once we get healthy and have a few games of cohesion. The east is weak this year so we’re mid table even at 4-7 lol
Wait hold on a second you can’t be reasonable about this!
I agree. This reporter is a Minnesota based reporter, he’s reporting on Timberwolves…but he’s not a Charlotte based reporter, so in this case, he may be wrong
Jon K is pretty worthless reporter. He gets 0 scoops for real. Nice guy but just regurgitates stuff and speculates. T wolves fans never want to hear it but it’s true.
This is the fifth consecutive season that Naz’s scoring efficiency (relative to league average) has declined. It’s also currently the worst of his entire career, his TS%+ is 13% worse than league average.
Some of this could be due to him essentially being charlotte’s #1 option right now, he currently has a career high in usage %. Which naturally applies more pressure and he’s better as a relief option than the engine of an offense.
His net rating this season is the worst of his entire career by a wide margin (not surprising as the hornets weren’t world beaters to begin with and have had a lot of injuries on top of that)
His on/off is the worst its been since 2023
He’s averaging a career high in turnovers, the lowest block % of his career, lowest free throw rate of his career
I don’t say all of this to suggest Naz is a bad player, he’s not. But he’s currently being asked to be a #1 option when he’s best suited as a 4th or 5th option.
The fact the Minnesota traded him for a young all star was a swindle. All because one guy was perceived as dumb with gaudy tats and the other guy was a meme.
I can’t help but laugh when I hear people say the Hornets sold high. Selling high would imply a much better return than Naz, a first years down the road, and a bunch of seconds (I doubt the swaps convey). They didn’t sell high, they just sold.
Also why is the narrative that Charlotte sold high when maybe it was Minnesota that sold high?
It’s just because people don’t like Lamelo
The two years prior we would have had to attach assets to get off Lamelos deal so it was by that definition a sell high.
Uhh, no. Obviously the Hornets and Timberwolves made the trade in order to have a real chance to win a championship in the next 3-10 years win the first 10 games of the 2026-2027 season.
Selling high comes with the context that Lamelo gets injured a lot and his value craters when he does.
Brandon Miller is the #1 option. Naz has been the #1 option for 1 game and went 25-13-4 (albeit on bad efficiency) with a +16.
Not saying he’s a good fit for this team, but he hasn’t been the #1 option
Fair he’s a second option, but even still that’s way too important and featured for the player he is
It’s not just that Lamelo was perceived as a low iq/unserious player, though that is part of it, he’s also just hurt a lot. I don’t think he has really even showed up in the play-in games either (for whatever that’s worth, but it’s the highest stakes games he’s been a part of). Now add on a grueling, physical, high pressure postseason, and what happens? No one knows yet
He definitely showed up for the Heat play-in game last year, but yeah, was non-existent for the other 3 we played with him.
I still question how much of the time missed was in part due to the Hornets trying to tank. The injuries were obviously real but they were in the Wemby and Flagg sweepstakes. Wouldn’t be surprising if they just shut Melo down for more ping pong balls.
Charlotte hasn’t been healthy yet. The idea of moving Naz before they even see Kon on the court seems so dumb.
Feels like they are never healthy.
But what is adding Kon going to do. Make them a fringe play in team? I feel like if the right price comes along, the Hornets take it
Not everything is about right now when you’re a young team. They need to figure out what works and what don’t before they move players though. Or you can’t possibly get better unless by blind luck. Not a good way to build a roster.
But why? Why not see what you have? I understand for the right price, but that right price would have to be two firsts plus for me to consider. Like way more, because then why make the trade. Kon is young. If they thought Naz had what it took to be a number one, well, that is dumb. But if they still think he could be a three or four with a better facilitator and glue guy in Kon, why not just wait until Kon gets healthy?
Because I don’t think Kon really changes the issues with this team. His numbers sans LaMelo weren’t the most encouraging and I don’t think Naz does much in terms of helping his development. If I’m running the hornets, if I can get a good 1st for Allen or Naz then I wouldnt hesitate to pull the trigger. I woudnt be mad if they wanted to wait, I just wouldn’t if the right price was offered to me
Is Naz Reid really the problem with the Hornets right now?
Jesus Christ, I don’t know why basketball fans think every trade has to be a one-to-one talent swap. Naz Reid was never meant to be a Melo replacement. He was just a piece in the package to take over for Miles when he eventually gets moved.
The front office already knew they weren’t getting equal basketball value back for Melo. The whole point was taking a step back because they don’t trust his health. I don’t understand why the fuck this is so hard for people to grasp.
I don’t even like the trade. I thought we should’ve spent more time with Melo, even if this core was capped out. But Jesus Christ, it’s not Naz vs. Melo.
My bigger question has always been, if we knew we wanted to trade LaMelo then why didn’t we do it at the deadline and tank enough to get Acuff/Wagler/Flemings/Brown?
Maybe they were undecided at that time, or the offers weren’t what they wanted, but there were multiple high-level prospects and instead we have Dennis Schroder (old), Coby White (not a point guard), and Christian Anderson (meh) running point.
Maybe the offers weren’t there. I think a big part of the Lamelo trade happening is Randle playing poorly in the playoffs and deciding to change course
Yes, he also became embittered because his name was being brought up in trade deadline talks, so he didn’t perform as well out of the deadline. The deadline created the situation that needed to exist to make the Lamelo trade more plausible/likely.
Because Ball gets hurt every year they had to make that deal during the summer when he was healthy.
I wonder how much him leading the team into that great second half raised his value.
Clearly not that much
Part of what the hornets valued was the trade exception they created with the deal; those kinds of deals can’t happen in-season because hardly anyone has cap space. But in the offseason you have a bunch of expiring contracts aroudn the league that teams can renounce cap holds for, in order to accommodate that kind of salary before they get around to using bird rights to re-sign their own players.
Acuff would be so nice with Kon
honestly props to the wolves organization for propping up Naz trade value like that lmao
I feel like Hornets FO is made up of a bunch of petty nerds (the bad kind) and probably took some satisfaction from prying away a fan favorite.
I wouldn’t worry about it if I’m the Hornet’s. Naz has always been inconsistent, one month he will shoot 20% from thee, the next month he will shoot 50%+. I don’t know if he’s truly a starter, we never gave him that chance, but he’s still a really good player. He’s a bit moody at times, but also plays better when he has that chip on his shoulder.
Naz is just not a 3rd option, he’s suited to being the 5th starter or the main guy off the bench. He’s also a streaky player and so he needs to be insulated by more consistent guys.
Naz worked on the Wolves because he was a good compliment to Gobert and he didnt need to create everything because Ant is a top perimeter player.
Also im sure it does not help going from a contending situation to the Hornets, im sure that just kills motivation because you’re already getting paid and won win regardless.
Gimmie
Naz to Blazers makes too much sense for it to actually happen.
Since you already have Deni and Camara, I assume you want to bring Naz off the bench?
Maybe shouldn’t have traded LaMelo
They’re trying to rebuild around Kon. Last season was realistically the ceiling of that Hornets team. The Lamelo trade was also more than just Naz. They moved other contracts too and overall have cleaned up their financials a lot.
The trade was never about being better this season. Not to mention, all the early injuries they’ve had to deal with. Honestly, being 4-7 is pretty good given the context.
People are acting like they’d be significantly better to start the season had they had Lamelo. I have a hard time seeing them even 6-5. People are also acting like the Hornets are the worst team in the league.
Isn’t it contradictory to say the team reached its ceiling while also expecting Brandon Miller and Kon to take a leap?
I’d agree with that, if the rest of the East didn’t also improve a good bit in the offseason.
Would a healthy 2026-2027 hypothetical Hornets team be better than the 2025-2026 one? Absolutely but I don’t think by enough that it would change their chances in the standings. That’s why I think it was their ceiling, given the context.
Last season was realistically the ceiling of that Hornets team
How can you say that when their best players were 24, 23, and 20? You think they would’nt develop anymore?
How could it be their ceiling? It was the first year Lamelo actually played for the majority of the season with real pieces around him. It was the best season they’ve had in like a decade.
It was also the first year Lamelo actually played for the majority of the season in quite a while.
But it’s their ceiling bc the East is significantly better this season. They’d realistically be in the play-in hunt like last season.
We are tenth right now lol you dont think we would be better with our best player?
how the hell were they gonna win a title win lamelo ball as their best player
winning a title isn’t even in the realms of what the hornets are trying to accomplish, that’s such a weak argument for justifying the lamelo trade
This is exactly the mentality that made the Hornets the Hornets for the past few decades.
the hornets need to be focused on making the playoffs before winning a title becomes their priority
so they traded him because they wanted to suck? give me a fuckin break
they traded him because they knew they couldn’t win a title with him as their best player
every teams ultimate goal is to win a title
obviously the ultimate goal is to win a championship but you don’t go from bottom of the barrel to title contenders just like that, there’s steps involved
they can’t win with miller as their best player either yet they paid him 200 mil. just because lamelo can’t be the best player doesn’t mean he can’t be one of the best players, shipping him off under that logic makes no sense
You’re missing the point here- you’re supposed to sacrifice any hope of relevance to avoid losing some games early in the 2026 season.
With him as our third player behind Miller and Kon? Jesus Christ when will people stop saying this
if brandon miller is your franchise player then you’re not winning shit either
maybe try to make the playoffs first…also, is it much different then winning a title with Kon or Miller as your best player?
no, but maybe as your second and third best player
It’s the Hornets, making the play in is an accomplishment
Shit, yeah. Based on the 10 games so far, you’re completely correct. Everyone knows that it only takes that long to figure out if a trade was good.
Jak for Naz. Let’s go.
They wouldn’t be stupid enough to consider trading him when they haven’t even been able to run their healthiest roster…