After Kelly Oubre Jr. signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, some Charlotte Hornets fans were a little confused about why they let a 20-point scorer walk for nothing. He played in 48 games on a team that only won 27 games and moved onto a team that is usually a mainstay in the postseason. Philly added more wing depth around Joel Embiid and maybe James Harden if they figure out his situation with them. While the Hornets lost a pretty good player, he's a replaceable one. One they kind of needed to let walk.

There's plenty of depth at the wing positions to replace his production. Drafting Brandon Miller with the second pick in 2023 is an ideal replacement. In fact, he is a better move for their immediate & short future. Miller was clearly drafted to be LaMelo Ball's running mate moving forward and one of their go-to scorers for the Hornets as they move forward. Even with all that expectation and talent Miller has, he may not even start. There are solid veteran players who can make Miller a featured piece of the second unit.

Gordon Hayward is reliable on the floor when he's able to play. For two straight seasons, he's had the Hornets in the postseason picture before poorly timed injuries. PJ Washington is likely to soak up more minutes at the power forward spot rather than the small but can take away some of Miller's minutes as well. He was the team's most consistent player in 2022-23 and set career highs in games played and points per game with 73 and 15.7. Lastly, Miles Bridges should have fresh legs after having the year off.

He is suspended for the first 10 games of the season, but he should be just as bouncy and anxious to get back on the floor to show his two-way dominance from two seasons ago. As fun of player Kelly Oubre was to watch in Charlotte for the last couple of seasons, the team just didn't need him and he likely knew that too. A young team's top priority in the league is to assess what's on the roster & figure out their roles within the organization. To some degree, Oubre would've taken minutes away from the other guys mentioned above or even guys like Nick Smith Jr. or Bryce McGowens.

It was a win-win situation for both parties. Oubre gets to compete for an NBA title, while the Hornets continue to build a young core and establish a culture.