Charlotte Hornets: Is Nick Young A Potential Trade Target?
The NBA trade deadline will be upon us before we know it, which means it’s time for three things: speculation, speculation, and speculation.
A team expected to be right in the thick of things is the Charlotte Hornets, as they’ve already made it clear they’re open to talks.
In fact, earlier this season, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported that every member of the team is fair game, save for Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker. That being said, it’s hard to imagine the likes of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, or Noah Vonleh going anywhere.
While the most enticing trade chips are likely off the table, the Hornets still have some pieces that other teams could be interested in.
Gerald Henderson is a guy that has certainly stepped up his level of play as of late, and has undoubtedly increased trade value as a result. The Hornets may want to consider moving him while his value is probably as high as it’ll ever be.
That being said, he’s played so well recently that I’m not so sure the Hornets could afford to ship him off. During the month of January (six games), Henderson has averaged 15.3 points, 4.2 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. Maybe most telling is the fact that Henderson has yet to record a negative value for a plus/minus score in 2015. Simply put, Charlotte isn’t enjoying a five-game winning streak without him.
The vast majority of trade talk in the Queen City has been surrounding recently-acquired swing man, Lance Stephenson. The Hornets have publicly made him available and have done everything short of leaving him on some team’s doorstep.
Charlotte has just looked like such a better team without the eccentric Stephenson on the court. To attest, they’re a healthy 9-5 since his injury. He just doesn’t fit the mold that head coach, Steve Clifford, is trying to build and doesn’t provide the shooting ability that is so desperately needed.
So the question becomes: who should the Hornets consider targeting?
One option is Nick Young, aka Swaggy P, of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Good
If you haven’t heard of him, do yourself a favor and look him up, as Nick Young is about as entertaining as they come. A lot of this entertainment stems from his belief that just about any shot is a good shot.
Sounds like a bad thing, right? Wrong. He takes a lot of shots, but he makes them. Just take a look at this fade-away three with LeBron James all over him.
This kind of shooting is exactly what the Hornets need in order to free things up for Al Jefferson in the low post. For all intents and purposes, his shooting ability is the missing piece to the complex puzzle that is the 2014-2015 Charlotte Hornets.
A major advantage to Nick Young over Lance Stephenson is that Young is not nearly as ball-dominant as Stephenson. While he’s not exactly a catch-and-shoot player, he can hit spot-up jumpers more consistently than Lance.
Kemba Walker is about as ball-dominant of a point guard as they come. If these past few games have taught us anything, it’s that Kamba Walker is much better when he’s the only guard handling the ball.
Nick Young is a guy that can play primarily off the ball or one-on-one, if need be, and his jump shooting ability would be extremely welcomed to the teal and purple faithful.
So far this season, Nick young is averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting 38 percent, including 40 percent from beyond the arc in just 25 minutes.
The Bad
The advantages of Swaggy P obviously come with disadvantages, otherwise he’d be a no-brainer.
For starters, he shoots a lot. Yes, I know I listed that as part of “the good” but it also can be a problem. It can especially be a problem for a team like the Hornets that thrives off of ball movement.
This is exactly why the Lance Stephenson experience has been disappointing so far, so trading for Nick Young could just result in the old “same story, different day.”
Too many possessions with wild shot attempts could lead to Swaggy P riding the bench during important minutes (something Clifford had no issue doing with Stephenson), which would be yet another disappointment.
An additional downside is Nick Young’s defense. It’s not his defensive abilities, but more so his…willingness to participate on that end of the court. Swaggy P is the type to pick and choose his defensive moments and just kind of go through the motions the rest of the time.
The Verdict
All in all, Nick Young would be a great fit with the Charlotte Hornets. His shooting ability would space the floor and really open things up near the basketball. Teams wouldn’t be able to pack it in down low without leaving Young open for a jumper. If defenses have to choose between leaving Young open on the perimeter or allowing Big Al to go one-on-one down low, the league’s 23rd ranked scoring offense would get a much-need jolt.
As for Swaggy P’s defensive liability, Steve Clifford is a good enough coach defensively to make do. All the talk after the Bobcats signed Al Jefferson was his defensive woes, yet Clifford was able to turn Charlotte into a top-five defense, so it can be done.
In order for the Charlotte Hornets to become true playoff contenders, they’ll need to make a move via free agency. Nick Young might be everything the Hornets need and, most importantly, he could be available at a realistic price.