The fire sale is beginning to take place in North Carolina. The Charlotte Hornets are not going anywhere any time soon at 10-31 and a -11.1 point differential that ranks dead last in the Eastern Conference. So, they're beginning to sell off their key players for draft picks that can help them down the road. Their trade of Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick was the first step in that direction.
The plan in Charlotte is to continue to listen to offers for their veterans, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reporting that “Charlotte is discussing other deals on its veteran players ahead of the trade deadline and plans to continue accumulating assets.” Lowry himself is among that group of players, as well as potentially PJ Washington, Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward.
Hayward could be a key figure to watch between now and the trade deadline. Hayward is 33 years old on a team that is starting over. Not to mention that he's on a $31.5 million expiring contract. He is a prime trade candidate and, in fact, it would be malpractice if the Hornets do not trade him and get something back for him when he can leave for nothing. The $31.5 million cap number will be hard for some teams to match, but there are a few title contenders who can do it. Those teams stand out as potential trade targets for Hayward that Charlotte should contact.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers make a ton of sense as a trade partner for the Hornets because they have a ton of players who are also on an expiring contract. It might make more sense for Charlotte to take on a lengthy contract with Gordon Hayward's expiring deal in hopes of accumulating better draft capital, but they could play the middle game with Philadelphia and acquire draft capital without having to eat long-term money. The Sixers have $33 million in expiring contracts among players with marginal roles on the team in Robert Covington, Marcus Morris Sr. and Danuel House Jr. Covington and Morris Sr. alone would make a deal work financially.
The Sixers also have eight future second-round picks they can trade, including two in the 2024 NBA Draft. Morris Sr., Covington, and a couple of those seconds could very well get the job done. That would be great business for the Sixers. Hayward would give the Sixers a playmaking boost, can play alongside both Embiid and Maxey, and would preserve the 2024 cap space Philadelphia wants to save. That's a trade that makes a lot of sense for Philly.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder should not want to fast-track their team and give up their treasure chest of draft picks willy-nilly. But this team is good enough to compete for a title *now.* They have the fourth-best record in the NBA and the third-best net rating. Why shouldn't they look for a win-now upgrade? Every year is precious and you never know when that window opens or close.
That's why the Thunder should poke around Gordon Hayward, even if he is only a rental for this season. It shouldn't take a lot to get him; Davis Bertans, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann are all the Thunder need to trade to the Hornets to make a deal work financially. They have a billion draft picks at their disposal that they can't all use. They don't have to give up anybody who plays a meaningful role for them at the moment and have plenty of draft picks to spend to improve one of the best teams in the NBA. This seems like a no-brainer.
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