Nothing like a good early-season trade scenario to rile up a fan base.
Seems like a hundred fans of the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards reacted on Twitter Tuesday afternoon when I reported the Hornets have inquired about Wizards guard Bradley Beal’s trade availability.
While Hornets fans seem excited about any chance to acquire a player to complement Kemba Walker, the pieces fans suggested they’d be willing to give up to make that happen sounded underwhelming. In an equal-but-opposite manner, Wizards fans acted as if next to nothing on the Hornets’ roster (other than Walker, of course) would be worth giving up Beal.
This is the art of the possible, folks. A trade is a compromise, as in neither side is going to feel it got exactly what it wants.
That serves as the opening question in this week’s Hornets mailbag:
Q. What would be an attractive offer for Beal, other than Kemba, obviously?
A. By attractive, I’ll take it you mean an offer the Wizards would seriously consider that wouldn’t be excessive.
I’m not privy to what has been discussed between the Hornets and Wizards, so my answer is an educated guess: If I were the Wizards, the foundation of what I’d consider from the Hornets is a package of young, high-potential players and draft picks. That would start with asking for rookie Miles Bridges. I’d also be interested in Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon. All three of those are on inexpensive contracts that go beyond this season.
I’d also ask for Jeremy Lamb because he has an expiring contract, but also re-signable under Larry Bird Rights. Also, center Willy Hernangomez would be on my radar.
In order to match up salaries with Beal’s $25 million this season, the Wizards would probably have to take back one of the Hornets’ veteran contracts. If I were the Wizards, I’d ask for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Marvin Williams, and avoid taking back the contracts of Nic Batum or Bismack Biyombo.
Q. Any chance of trading Biyombo and a first-round pick for Kevin Love?
A. There is always a chance, but that would be a remarkably quick concession by the Cleveland Cavaliers that extending Love was a mistake. Including this season, the Cavs owe Love $145 million over five years.
The Cavs wouldn’t be getting much return for Love. Conversely, the Hornets would be so wedded to a Walker-Love future after Walker is re-signed in July. Undoing that, if it doesn’t work, would be very difficult.
Q. Would the Hornets consider using the stretch provision after this season to free up more cap space for a mid-level free agent that maybe wants to play with Kemba?
A. That’s the sort of thing you would only do at the last minute after you have a handshake agreement to acquire a player you really want. The waive-and-stretch allows a team to cut a player and then spread out the cap implications of that player’s remaining guaranteed salary over multiple seasons. It’s a payroll-management tool a team uses sparingly because you’re paying a player not to play for you anymore. Make a habit of that, and it’s evidence you’re not very well managed.
Q. Does (coach James) Borrego playing Bridges in crunch time suggest he’s OK (defensively at the NBA level) or is it just that they need some scoring while Williams is in a funk?
A. Bridges playing the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics Tuesday shows Borrego’s trust in the rookie. But I would caution that the first 16 games of Borrego’s tenure as Hornets coach shows he’s not reluctant to shake up his rotation game-to-game. Sometimes a reserve unexpectedly playing extended minutes in a game (Biyombo in the first game against the 76ers, for instance) is a one-off strategy. I don’t think that’s the case with Bridges, but the Hornets’ rotation so far is more fluid than it was under prior coach Steve Clifford.
Q. Is Kemba’s trade value higher than it was pre-draft?
A. Great question, even if it’s probably a moot point; I can’t picture the Hornets dealing Walker this season between the way he’s excelling and his stated preference to re-sign with the Hornets in July.
But to answer your question, teams would value Walker more now than over the summer because he’s showing night after night to be a top 10 player. However, just to acknowledge the counter-argument, if a team gave up lots to acquire Walker at mid-season, that team would be taking a big risk of sacrificing assets for what, worst case, is a three-month rental.
Q. Is it likely Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gets traded? He’s not playing and is getting paid way too much.
A. Is he paid way too much? I disagree. Before that ankle sprain, he was having major impact off the bench, and $13 million per season isn’t outrageous in the NBA for one of your top seven players. Borrego would have other options if Kidd-Gilchrist was traded, but I think his performance this season has been solid.
Q. Has Dwayne Bacon earned more playing time once Kidd-Gilchrist comes back healthy?
A. Probably, because Borrego likes what he has seen of late when Bacon gets the chance to play. But, again, Borrego’s rotations are quite fluid right now and the wing positions are where he has the most options.