Yaxel Lendeborg's sensational start to his rookie campaign has Warriors fans dreaming of one more title run behind future Hall of Famers Steph Curry and Draymond Green. If Golden State's front office wants to turn that dream into a reality, they need to swing a big in-season trade to give head coach Steve Kerr more talent to work with.
In sharp contrast to the Warriors, the Hornets have been one of the NBA's biggest disappointments of the young season. Their front office made a conscious decision to take a mild step back when they opted to ship LaMelo Ball to Minnesota in a blockbuster offseason trade. The hope was that their young core of Kon Kneuppel and Brandon Miller could power them to another playoff berth. Bringing back veteran Naz Reid in the Ball trade was designed to give the team's starting five a versatile force to help keep things ticking on both ends of the floor.
Kneuppel has only managed to play one quarter this season, which has been the catalyst for an ugly 4-8 start for Charlotte. That should have the Hornets' front office looking to pivot for a fresh start next season. There's a cogent case to be made that the Warriors and Hornets should be able to find common ground for a team that can benefit both sides.
This Warriors-Hornets trade proposal rejuvenates Golden State with Naz Reid
Reid represents one of the best veterans the Warriors can reasonably acquire with such a modest outlay of resources. Giving up a first round pick might sting, but this deal counterbalances it by getting off of their Porzingis headache and the contract for injured wing Moses Moody. It's purely a talent add for Golden State this season, so they would not be giving away anything that is helping them win games at the moment.
Reid's versatility and willingness to move the ball and defend make him a great fit for Kerr's philosophies on both ends of the floor. His willingness to shoot a lot of threes can help make up for Green's complete inability to make a perimeter shot this year. Defensively, Reid can help Golden State by switching multiple positions. Throw in his demonstrated ability to perform in the postseason and it's easy to see why the Warriors would be interested in bring him in.
Why would the Hornets trade Naz Reid?
The Hornets are off to a poor start, but things would be even worse without Reid. He's being overtaxed in Charlotte as a primary creator, but there's a reasonable hope that he can slot back into a more comfortable role as a secondary or tertiary option on offense once Kneuppel returns to active duty.
It still makes sense for the Hornets to deal Reid this season if they can get an unprotected pick in the deal. He's slightly older than the rest of the team's young core and the group seems to be at least a year or two away from being legitimate factors atop the Eastern Conference. As such, flipping him for another lottery ticket that could net Charlotte a young star is the right move for their front office.
Taking on Porzingis' dead contract is a slight negative for the Hornets, but they should be able to save millions via a buyout. Moody's contract may be totally dead money, but Charlotte might consider trying to bring him back if he proves he's healthy sometime in the next few months.
Ultimately, trading Reid in a move like this would be another forward-thinking transaction for the Hornets' front office. It would be more of a short-term move from the Warriors perspective, but that's the mode Golden State is in at the end of Curry's career. This trade would still leave Golden State behind the likes of the Spurs and Thunder in the West, but it would give them a puncher's change in a playoff series against anyone the West has to offer.
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