Charlotte Hornets: Kevin Love Trade Unlikely
If Marvin Williams leaves the Charlotte Hornets, the team will have to hunt for power forwards who can shoot. Would that search extend to Cleveland?
The Charlotte Hornets have some decisions to make this off season. They would like to bring back the team that went to the Playoffs this year. That would require bringing back Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, Marvin Williams, and Al Jefferson is some combination. If one of the four were to get dumped, it would likely be Jefferson.
Still, signing Batum, Williams, and Lin is no easy task. Each will want some improvement on their current salary status with Batum commanding the biggest increase. In fact Batum’s money is what will limit the team in their ability to re-sign the others. He will get his deal and his dollars first.
There are also a couple of contracts that the Hornets could move, either now or after July 1st. The July 1st deadline is important because that is when Jeremy Lamb’s new trade figure of around $ 7 million begins. That would give him and Spencer Hawes a combined trade value of around $13 million. Unfortunately it is after the NBA Draft, so the Hornets would not be able to make a deal including this year’s twenty-second pick.
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So that’s the table. Now Marvin Williams currently makes $7 million. The Hornets would bring him back at that number in an instant except that Marvin probably deserves more. If they lose him, they need a strategy to replicate the kinds of things that he does as a stretch four.
Currently there is an underused stretch four that might be on the trade market. That would be Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavs. If you needed evidence that the team really doesn’t feature him, then you should watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Love makes about nineteen million a year. If you consider that Hawes and Lamb are worth thirteen (after July 1) million and Marvin was worth seven to the Hornets this past season, the team could afford Love and still try to pursue their other off season question marks.
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The Hornets’ biggest obstacles to a Love trade are lack of assets and Love making just south of twenty million a year. The only way they could tempt Cleveland would be with draft picks (which mean what in the age of win now in Cleveland?). Hawes would theoretically be a good fit for the Cavs bench but they have their own version of Lamb.
Charlotte’s other big obstacle is that there are other teams who would make big plays for Love if he came onto the trade market. The best deal the Hornets could offer would be a sign-and-trade of Williams, Hawes, and picks. That may not cut with Boston or others out there.
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So while the front office could send out feelers, don’t expect a Plan A of pursuing Kevin Love by the Hornets.