3 Hornets on the Trade Block Heading Into the NBA Draft

The Charlotte Hornets entered a new era after the 2023-24 season. They have a new general manager in Jeff Peterson and a new head coach in Charles Lee. After eight straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Hornets opted for a rebuild, which they started by trading Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and PJ Washington mid-season.

Now, they will likely continue that process. The Hornets will trade veterans in exchange for draft picks and young players while they build around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, and whoever they draft with the No. 6 pick this year.

Let's take a look at who the likeliest trade candidates on the Hornets are this summer.

Davis Bertans

The second-highest-paid player on the Hornets for the 2024-25 season is Davis Bertans. If Charlotte guarantees his full amount, Bertans will be due $16 million for next season. They can also cut him and choose to pay him $5.2 million instead.

It makes some sense for the Hornets to guarantee the contract and use it in a deal. That salary slot could potentially be used on a younger, higher-upside player.

For Bertans, things have continued to go south ever since he signed a five-year, $80 million deal with the Wizards back in 2020. He can still shoot but that is about all he can do on a basketball court. That spacing has some value, to be sure, but it's just not worth $16 million. If the Hornets can turn him into a younger player by attaching a couple of draft picks, they should seriously consider it.