NBA Trade Grades: Hornets add Montrezl Harrell for postseason run
By Luke Duffy
In a trade deadline that many will remember for a long time, the upstart Charlotte Hornets got involved late in the day, adding Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards and giving up Ish Smith and Vernon Carey in the process. That wasn’t the only deal the Wizards were involved in, as they somehow added Kristaps Porzingis to the mix, too.
Behind first-time All-Star LaMelo Ball and future All-Star Miles Bridges, the Hornets definitely have something. They are almost certain to be involved in the playoffs in some capacity this year as well, although by adding Harrell, they will surely hope to avoid the play-in tournament, which requires securing a top-six seed in the East.
Time moves quickly in the NBA, but we must not forget that Montrezl Harrell was a Sixth Man of the Year award winner not that long ago, and brings value to the Hornets
By adding him to their rotation, it allows the Hornets some more roster flexibility. This is something every postseason entrant needs if they are to exploit mismatches and hide some of their own deficiencies. For the Wizards, this was more about freeing up space for Porzingis, so to that end, on the surface, it was a success.
In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t a move that sent shockwaves through the league or made rivals of either franchise sit up and take notice. But it might just have been the around-the-fringes move that could pay off big for one of these organizations, in particular, as we head towards the end of the regular season.