Hornets Land Intriguing Young Wing in Shocking Trade

The free agency is in full swing and all 30 NBA teams are desperately trying to improve their roster for next season. Even though they don't have plans to be highly competitive next season, the Charlotte Hornets are also making an effort to make future-focused moves to add young players with upside.

With that goal in mind, the Hornets GM Jeff Peterson made his best move of the offseason on Monday, acquiring Josh Green from the Dallas Mavericks in a savvy transaction.

NBA News: Hornets Acquire Josh Green via Trade

As the Mavericks acquired Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte got involved to land the 23-year-old small forward in exchange for two second-round picks.

Naturally, most of the attention has been given to Klay Thompson leaving Golden State after 13 years with the franchise. An under-the-radar part of the transaction was Green ending up in Charlotte.

Green was the 18th overall pick in Dallas back in 2020. Last offseason, he signed a three-year, $41 million extension with the Mavericks. In his four seasons in the NBA, the Australian has shown flashes of two-way ability. At 6'5, he can guard multiple positions, while being able to hit threes, making 38.5% of his attempts from downtown last season. He played in 22 playoff games for the Mavericks last season, playing 18 minutes per game.

Josh Green doesn't project to be a high-level shot creator and scorer in the NBA but he is a modern player who fits the mold of a prototypical three-and-D player. The Hornets don't have a player of that profile other than Grant Williams, who plays a different position. Therefore, Green has the skill set to fit seamlessly next to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, making things easier for them.

Regardless of whether Green starts or comes off the bench next season, he will be an important part of the rotation, providing value on both ends of the floor.

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