The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA thus far this season. They have more wins than only Detroit Pistons compared to the rest of the league, with nine, and seem to be going nowhere fast following a tumultuous offseason.
Charlotte had more players arrested than signed to the team, as they failed to upgrade the roster in any shape or form. They fired head coach James Borrego despite a 10-win increase from the previous season and pinpointed Kenny Atkinson as his replacement. But, less than a week after announcing his hire, Atkinson decided he wanted to stay with the Golden State Warriors.
The future is bleak in Charlotte, as Miles Bridges may never play in the NBA again after a breakout 2021-22 season. That leaves LaMelo Ball as the lone building block, and there isn’t much to get excited about around him.
The Hornets look to have whiffed on lottery picks other than him as James Bouknight and Mark Williams are underwhelming thus far. Without Bridges, the franchise lacks another building block. While certainly unlikely, given how many seasons of control the Hornets still have, could Ball end up being traded?
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
It was something that Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently broached in a piece about NBA trades to dream about. Ball being dealt is likely something you will only see in a dream or NBA 2K, but wouldn’t it be something if the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a deal for him as Hughes suggested?
Oklahoma City is drowning in draft capital and assets. If there is a franchise in the NBA that could make a competitive offer for any player in the league, it is the Thunder.
Already in the running for Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, Charlotte would have a chance at a quick rebuild and turnaround with the assets that the Thunder could build a package around.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
While almost certainly not occurring, it is an interesting exercise to see what kind of deals Oklahoma City can put together. Also, pairing Ball with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt with Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt would give the Thunder arguably the best young trio in the league to build around.
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