Hornets Add Lakers Starter in Fascinating Trade Proposal

It is a new era in Charlotte and the Hornets are expected to build for the future under the direction of new general manager Jeff Peterson and new head coach Charles Lee. After years of short-sighted goals of chasing the eighth-seed, the Hornets finally have a multi-year plan of putting together a sustainable team that can win in the long run.

With that objective in mind, the Hornets should continue the strategy they started at the 2023-24 trade deadline when they moved Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and PJ Washington for future draft picks and young players. Trading away veterans who have trade value but are of little use to Charlotte to get more draft picks and young players in exchange for salary relief for the other team should be a viable approach for the Hornets.

Two players they can move as part of that plan are Vasilije Micic and Cody Martin. The 30-year-old Micic and 28-year-old Martin make a combined $15.8 million next year. They are both rotation-level players but they don't fit Charlotte's timeline. Therefore, trading them to a team looking to win now makes a ton of sense.

Hornets Trade Proposal Lands Lakers Starter

One potential trade partner in that scenario could be the Lakers. A trade proposal that could work for both teams could look like this:

The Lakers get out of two more years of Rui Hachimura's contract that pays him a total of $35.2 million. Instead, they get a competent playmaker in Micic who can be a solid backup point guard for them, and Martin, who has shown that he can be a capable two-way forward when healthy. Los Angeles gets two rotation-level players in exchange for one. Both Martin and Micic's contracts expire at the end of next season, so they get additional financial flexibility.

Charlotte, on the other hand, takes a flyer on Hachimura. Despite being slightly overpaid, the 26-year-old forward has had some moments with the Lakers. He can be an insurance for Miles Bridges potentially departing and provide decent forward play in a position of need for the Hornets.

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