Rapid reaction: Charlotte Hornets trade frenzy

The Charlotte Hornets were busy last night on the eve of the draft, making multiple moves to try and improve their roster after an extremely disappointing campaign last year. Having already dealt Lance Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this week, the Hornets once again got on the phones to make some things happen.

They finessed two different trades, acquiring Nic Batum from the Portland Trail Blazers, and Jeremy Lamb from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In the aftermath of the Hornets’ frenzy of trades, we decided we needed to talk about what went down, so we sent some emails back and forth. Let’s get into it.

Jack (@jackhaveitall): 

Okay so Hornets basically traded Lance Stephenson, Gerald Henderson, and Noah Vonleh for Nic Batum and Jeremy Lamb.

Love it for the Hornets. Lance was a disaster and Henderson is fine but you aren’t going anywhere with him. Batum is an upgrade over both guys, and taking a flyer on Lamb is worth it.

Zach (@ZachOliverNBA):

I really like what the Hornets have done so far. They’ve solidified their wing spots, while adding much needed shooting to the fold. How they play with Batum and MKG will be interesting, but it gives their lineup another level of depth and versatility.

Adding Lamb feels like a low-risk high-reward type move. He hasn’t worked out thus far, but a change of scenery could be exactly what he needs to turn things around.

Wes (@wcgoldberg):

I’m interested to see what they do with Batum and MKG. Maybe go with a combo forward lineup where both are interchangeable. That would provide them with some much needed spacing. I’m looking forward to some Kemba kick outs to Batum in the corner. Batum gives the Hornets that do-it-all guy they lost when Josh McRoberts left.

Ian (@IanDougherty):

I’m on the fence about the Hornets’ moves so far. Getting rid of Lance made sense from a basketball/chemistry standpoint, but taking back Spencer Hawes’ long-term contract when they could have just opted out of Stephenson’s deal after next season may do some kind of damage in the future. The Lance trade did give them Matt Barnes, whose contract was traded for Jeremy Lamb. That’s a low-risk move for a player that seems to have a ton of talent, but just hasn’t broken through yet.

For the Batum deal, at first glance, I’m not a fan of it. I liked Gerald Henderson as an offensive spark plug in Charlotte a lot. Noah Vonleh is a project, and he needs time to grow, but I don’t think he should’ve been given up in this move. Batum has the ability to be a point-forward with solid shooting and good defense, but he’s also coming off of his worst big-minute year of his career. Maybe a change of scenery is all he needs to find his game again, though.

Jack (@jackhaveitall):

Here’s why i like the Lamb addition and why I liked the Lance addition last year:

The hornets can’t win the East as constructed. They just can’t. They aren’t talented enough and players talented enough to take them up a level aren’t easy to get.

Sure Lamb is on his way to becoming an eternal prospect, but he has the talent to make Charlotte a problem in the playoffs if he pans out. And they didn’t really give up too much to get him so it’s way worth it in my opinion.

Chris (@ChrisBarnewall): 

I like it for the Hornets, but there’s a sense of short sightedness to it. Batum is actually fairly young, and that fits their team since most of them are in their mid 20’s, but their roof isn’t very high at the moment. Will definitely need to add some youth, or other veterans, to get better in the future.

Getting Lamb was really a great move. Even if he’s bad, it’s still more than what Matt Barnes was going to give them.