Hornets take all-upside gamble with former first-round pick

Aleksej Pokusevski landed on his feet quickly. Less than a week after the Oklahoma City Thunder waived Pokusevski, he finds himself on a new team with a fresh start.

The former first-round pick is expected to sign with the Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Charlotte Hornets take flier on Aleksej Pokusevski

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Pokusevski with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, then traded him to the Thunder a couple of days later. 

Now, the seven-footer will have an opportunity to restore his value in Charlotte on a rebuilding team with little to play for down the season’s stretch, and the Hornets get to see what they have in a young player who has shown flashes of potential during his time as a pro.

Pokusevski got off to a strong start in 2022-23 before injuries derailed his season, averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting a career-high 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. However, he has struggled to work his way back into a Thunder rotation littered with talent, averaging six minutes per game in his 10 appearances for Oklahoma City this season.

Why wasn’t Pokusevski included in the trade between the Hornets and Thunder ahead of the trade deadline that sent veteran forward Gordon Hayward to Oklahoma City in exchange for Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans? Whatever the reason, Charlotte now gets to take a speculative flier on Pokusevski at a lower cost than his initial $5 million salary.

Sitting at 15-42 and 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings, the Hornets are taking a swing on a player with unique traits. 

They should be able to find a role for Pokusevski to showcase his abilities, especially considering they traded multiple key rotational players ahead of the deadline, like Hayward, Terry Rozier, and P.J. Washington.