4. Charlotte Hornets
After an irrelevant 33-49 campaign in 2014-15, Buzz City is back. Kemba Walker has shed the “decent point guard” label to lead the team in points (17.7), assists (4.9) and steals (1.6) per game. The former UConn product had the scoring pedigree, but the consistency has made an appearance finally in 2015.
GM Rich Cho also bolstered the backcourt with an underrated move bringing in Portland’s Nicolas Batum in an offseason deal.
The “win now” mentality has shown dividends thus far, but there’s always another deal that could be made. Denver could make the gritty Kenneth Faried available, trying to extract some long-term value for their rugged power forward.
Faried is shooting a much-improved 55.6 percent from the field in the 2015-16 season to pair with his 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. On a contender, Faried would hold more value as an energizer capable of playing as a starter or on the second unit and as either a power forward or center.
It’s a trait similar to Al Jefferson, whose numbers have been down in his 11th year in the league. He’s had to carry a tremendous workload as Charlotte’s bell cow on the block, but getting a supplementary experienced big to compliment Big Al would be ideal for the Hornets.
Denver, currently in full-fledged rebuild mode, might be hesitant to want to pay Faried’s hefty contract. Per spotrac.com, Faried will make an average of $12.5 million in the two years following this season and just more than $13.76 million in the 2018-19 season.
This deal works out for both teams, as Charlotte gets a productive interior presence and Denver gets younger on the block with Zeller, in addition to Marvin Williams’ extended contract.
Next: Not Impactful, but Possibly Necessary