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Charlotte Hornets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charlotte Hornets
January 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 117-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Trading Matt Barnes and a 2016 Second-Rounder in a Three-Team Trade for Jeremy Lamb

Matt Barnes was not a necessary addition to the roster, especially once the team traded for Nicolas Batum. Between Batum, Kidd-Gilchrist and Barnes, there wouldn’t have been enough minutes to go around at the 3-spot. The Hornets need shooting from that spot, so even though Barnes made 36.2 percent of his threes last season, he’s not typically viewed as a knockdown shooter.

In other words, if Batum is able to bounce back with this change of scenery, choosing him over Barnes makes sense before you consider all the other areas of the game where Batum is superior.

That being said, the theme of the Batum trade, intentional or not, was sacrificing the long-term future to improve the team right now. Why trade Barnes for an unproven youngster like Jeremy Lamb, then?

To be clear, I like the acquisition of Lamb, and if the Hornets were never intent on keeping Barnes (as was reported from the beginning), then dealing him and a second round pick to bring in a 23-year-old who could develop his game in the right situation was a good move. It just seems a little contradictory after sending Vonleh away, who I believe has more potential than Lamb at this point.

There will be pros and cons to Lamb playing with this particular roster. Unlike the loaded Oklahoma City Thunder, Lamb will have a better chance at cracking the rotation. Unfortunately, he’ll still be playing behind Batum and MKG, with P.J. Hairston also fighting for minutes on the wing. It’s not a bad move by any means, but it remains to be seen how much upside there really is here.

Grade: B-

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