Charlotte Hornets Aggressively Seeking Trade; Potential Partners
By Jon Shames
Orlando Magic
Based on the Orlando Magic’s offseason additions, one would think that they are actually in contention for a playoff spot this year.
But–even in the East–it’s just not happening.
The Magic have no star power, but they do, however, feature a plethora of role players–some of the league’s finest, at that.
Orlando ranks fifth in three-point percentage, converting an impressive 37.3 percent of its looks from deep.
Based on its roster, this shouldn’t come as a surprise; six of the Magic’s players are shooting better than 35 percent from the three-point line, and the team is home to two of the NBA’s best stretch forwards in Tobias Harris and Channing Frye–both of whom could be potential trade targets for the Hornets.
In the beginning of the summer, many Hornets fans were calling for the team to sign Channing Frye after Josh McRoberts decided to head to Miami. Standing at 6-foot-10 with a career three-point percentage of .386, Frye epitomizes the contemporary definition of “stretch 4.”
From the begninning of his tenure with the Phoenix Suns began back in the 2009-10 season, the now eight-year veteran Frye has been gunning away with ludicrous efficiency from deep.
Since his final year with the Portland Trail Blazers, Frye has had four seasons in which he has shot 37 percent or better from distance, including a 43.9 percent clip in 2010. Despite the fact that he is a career-9.8-point-per-game scorer, he garners a ton of defensive attention based on his shooting prowess alone.
The fact that a perennial lottery team like the Magic signed Frye this summer for more than $8 million a season is a bit strange, but clearly, Rob Hennigan sees bright things in the future for his club.
The Hornets should be looking into is Tobias Harris as well, a 22-year-old forward who has been turning heads all over the league this year. Originally a bench player for the Milwaukee Bucks, Harris has become one of the most exciting prospective bigs in the Eastern Conference over the last two seasons.
Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 235 pounds, Harris has a very similar body type to superstar-scorer Carmelo Anthony. Like Anthony, Harris has a quick first step, great hands around the hoop, and the strength to push his defenders out of the way down low, which allows him to clean up the offensive glass nicely.
But really, the similarities end there. While he is an excellent player in his own right, Harris has a long way to go before he can be compared to the second-best scorer in the association.
Still, though, the Charlotte Hornets could absolutely benefit from his services. Harris has improved as an outside shooter tremendously thus far, and since last year, he is knocking down nearly 15 percent more of his attempts from deep.
He has also improved his defensive intensity, which, if traded to Charlotte, would be a big factor in him getting increased playing time. Harris, a star in the making, could be costly for the Hornets, but based on his potential alone, he would be worth it (that is, assuming the Hornets are confident they can match his RFA offers).
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