NBA Trade Rumors: After a chaotic offseason, the Charlotte Hornets could look to reshuffle the roster. And that could mean trading Kelly Oubre Jr.
Through no fault of their own, the Charlotte Hornets are likely going to take a step back in their rebuild next season. The good news is that LaMelo Ball is still penciled in as the new face of the franchise and his performance on the court has continued to back that up.
He still has some developing to do, but Ball seems to be the real deal. Despite that, though, the Hornets still also have some ground to make up in the Eastern Conference. No one is penciling the team into being a top 8 team in the East this upcoming season but the hope is they could continue to make simple steps as a franchise to hopefully get there.
Assuming that they won’t be in the race for the postseason this year, it could open the door to some reshuffling of the roster. And with a handful of expiring contracts on their roster, they could look to try and sell at the NBA Trade Deadline in an attempt to collect some assets.
One particular player that could be an excellent candidate for that, according to a recent report, is Kelly Oubre Jr. Entering the second year of a two-year contract with the team, there’s a chance that Oubre ends up leaving after this season anyways in free agency.
"“According to an anonymous Eastern Conference executive who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Charlotte Hornets could look to trade former Warrior Kelly Oubre Jr. during the upcoming season.”"
If the Hornets are anticipating that, there’s no question that they should try to flip him for a future draft pick or another young prespect that’s still under contract. If Charlotte comes to that understanding and decision, there should be a healthy market for him on the trade block.
Oubre, 26, is coming off a season in which he averaged 15 points and four rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s a 6-foot-6 wing that can offer consistency, at times, on both ends of the floor.
He’s proven to be a valuable contributor through his short career and would benefit from being on a contender. In fact, you can make an argument that in the right situation, he probably still has room to grow as a player.
I think it’s smart to keep an eye on the Hornets early on in the season. If things go sideways early, we could see them do a few trades at the deadline.