NBA Trade Deadline 2019: 5 only mildly depressing trades for Jabari Parker
By Josh Ejnes
4. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are another team with fringe playoff potential, but they differ from the Thunder in that they can probably offer Parker a spot in the starting line up.
Right now one of the Hornets’ biggest problem is that their starting rotation lacks any serious punch in the paint. Marvin Williams is the team’s starting power forward, and he does most of his damage from beyond the arc; more than half of his shots are catch and shoot 3s, and he’s averaging around 5 3-point attempts per game.
On its own, this is not a bad thing. Stretch 4s are at a premium in the league right now, and his style of play also probably means Williams will age very well. The problem is that Charlotte’s offense is mostly run through Kemba Walker, who ranks third in the league in 3-point attempts per game.
The benefit of stretching defenders to the perimeter is mitigated when that’s where your primary scorer does most of their damage, especially when they don’t have anyone dependable to dish the ball to down low.
Adding Parker fixes this problem. He would give the Hornets a dependable scoring option in the paint and would allow Walker to diversify the way he runs the teams offense. Parker has also been more effective on the boards this year than Williams, who lost some athletic pop over the last few years.
Parker has made it clear that he’s a guy that wants to get serious playoff minutes, and the Hornets are the team in the league that that’s most likely to happen on.
They’re a team good enough to realistically secure a playoff berth, but not so good that Jabari would be buried in the fray. This move would make the Hornets better, and also give them a chance to unload Nicholas Batum’s contract, so things would work out all around.