To say the 2023-24 season has not gone according to plan for the Charlotte Hornets would be an understatement. Their franchise star LaMelo Ball got injured yet again and played 22 games this season. Charlotte's season pretty much ended once Ball was ruled out.
The Hornets went 7-15 in the 22 games he played this year, and have gone 11-43 without him. The only real positive Charlotte has seen on the floor in the interim has been the play of rookie second-overall pick Brandon Miller.
At least Ball's injury was early enough in the season for the Hornets to know they should be sellers at the trade deadline. They did exactly that and were rewarded for it. They got a first-round pick along with Grant Williams and Seth Curry for PJ Washington and another first from Miami for Terry Rozier.
The Hornets also acquired Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and a couple of second-rounders for Gordon Hayward. They are firmly in asset accumulation mode right now and can continue to rack some up in the offseason. Trading a player like Cody Martin can net them more picks.
Cody Martin, Forward
Cody Martin is a player who is ready to help a winning team and not be stuck on a bottom feeder. Martin is a tough and versatile defender at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. He can hold his own against bigger wings or navigate around screens against shifty guards. He also has active hands and is an alert help defender off the ball. It helps him make a big impact on that end of the floor.
Cody Martin carved a role for himself in Charlotte primarily due to his defense. Good, pesky team defender that did the dirty work. Got his hands in passing lanes & drew charges. 165 deflections this season (22nd most) and 19 charges drawn (6th most). pic.twitter.com/46DUYwzGHS
— Israel (@iohandles) August 4, 2022
However, Martin has some work to do on the offensive end of the floor. He shot 38.4% from three in the 2021-22 season, but that is looking like an outlier shooting season from him. He's shot better than 30% from deep in only one of his four other seasons as a pro and doesn't have another year shooting better than 31.4% from distance. He'd be a big more desirable player if he was a more reliable shooter.
Martin has also had trouble staying healthy. He played 71 games two seasons ago but doesn't have another year where he's played in more than 52 games. The former Nevada Wolfpack wing has only appeared in 35 games over the last two seasons too. That's just simply not good or reliable enough.
But Martin's defense should still be enough for contenders to look to find a way to acquire him. Even though his fit on offense is tricky, there are creative ways for him to be deployed. Martin has a career 2.3/0.9 assist to turnover ratio. He's also shot at least 50% on two-point jumpers in every year of his career except for this season.
Perhaps he could be deployed as an inverted roll man similarly to how the Denver Nuggets used Bruce Brown. It's a role that would play to his strengths as a player. Or, maybe a team could trot Martin out as a big backup point guard. He looked comfortable in a similar role earlier this season.
His usage will likely dwindle w the influx of guards from CHA's trade deadline deals — & hopefully getting LaMelo (ankle) back soon — but Cody Martin as a lead-ish ball-handler was kinda neat?
4.3 assists per game since becoming a full-time starter on 1/20. Fun passes on film! pic.twitter.com/fAk7Fg0hur
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) February 22, 2024
Martin is a unique player, but he's a player who is best served on a team that is ready to win. The Hornets are not that type of team. Luckily, it shouldn't be that hard for one of those teams to trade for him. Martin is making $8 million next season and roughly $8.6 million the year after.
A team doesn't have to send out big salary to get him, and a couple of second-round picks should be all the Hornets need to make a deal happen. It's something both sides should pursue.
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