Charlotte Hornets Aggressively Seeking Trade; Potential Partners
By Jon Shames
Hornets Aggressively Pursuing Trades; Who Are Potential Partners?
It was a glorious day for the Charlotte Hornets. The deal had finally been completed.
For days, the Hornets had been engaged in contract talks with unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson and his party, trying to pull the forward away from the Indiana Pacers’ outstretched arms.
Now, it was Friday, July 18, and Stephenson had just finished signing his name on the last line of his contract, securing his three-year commitment to the Hornets.
With the reigning triple-double leader added to a team that was already coming off of a playoff berth, the re-branding process completed, and a good deal of cap space left over, it was a good–great, really–time to be a Charlotte Hornets fan.
Four and a half months later, the Hornets are 4-14, have dropped nine games in a row, and now, may be looking to trade Stephenson–who is having perhaps the most disappointing season of any player in the NBA.
Per Grantland’s Zach Lowe, the Hornets’ struggles have prompted them to start looking around the league for help, and the team has been “aggressive making trade calls, according to sources across the league.”
It is believed that with the exception of Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, everyone on the Hornets–including Stephenson–is fair game.
A few names have began to surface as potential fixes for the Hornets’ issues on both ends of the floor, however there are many low-key potential acquisitions that would still do wonders for Charlotte. Here are five teams that have plenty of realistic trade targets to offer the Hornets.
Next: Short On Air, Tall On Talent