Trade week: Could the Hornets add a center, trade for Thunder’s Al Horford?
Last offseason, the Charlotte Hornets were often linked to James Wiseman and Onyeka Okongwu in the draft. It was thought they would pursue a center.
They went with LaMelo Ball instead, and it has so far been far and away the right choice. But they could still use a center. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a player who could be the answer.
Al Horford, under contract for two seasons in addition to this, could go a long way in helping them earn a playoff spot without crippling their future payroll.
Related: Bleacher Report’s Al Horford trade ideas
The proposal
Thunder receive: Malik Monk, Cody Zeller, Vernon Carey Jr., 2021 Clippers second-round draft pick
Hornets receive: Al Horford
Why the Thunder do this
There are a few principle reasons the Oklahoma City Thunder front office would consider this trade. First, trading Horford clears his salary off the books, opens the floor for more time for Isaiah Roby, Darius Bazley and Aleksej Pokusevski, and would make the team worse in effort to get a higher draft pick. Malik Monk is interesting. He hasn't shown what optimists liked when he was coming out of college, but he has been absolutely lights-out from 3 this year, shooting 43.9% on 5.6 attempts per game. He sounds like he has matured. It's by far the best season of his career, and at just 22 years old, he fits into the Thunder's timeline. Zeller's contract comes off the books this year. Carey, who turned 20 in February, is a question mark taken with the No. 32 pick in the 2020 draft. The Clippers' pick will likely be in the 50s.
Why the Hornets do this
Monk has been playing very well this year, but he's a small price to give up for someone of Horford's caliber. The center has revitalized his value in Oklahoma City, showing his chops as a playmaker, defender and floor spacer. Replacing those Zeller minutes with Horford is a massive gain on both ends of the court. Horford is playing like he did in Boston, when he was a key part of making the Celtics one of the best teams in the conference. Charlotte won't be that, but it would help them tighten their hold on a playoff spot. The Hornets are in seventh place at the All-Star break, but they'll need all the power they can get to hold off teams like the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls (0.5 games behind), Indiana Pacers (one game back), Atlanta Hawks (1.5 games back) and even the Washington Wizards, who are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Monk has provided scoring with Devonte' Graham out. Horford provides a broader impact.
Why the Thunder don't do this
To be frank, it's not a very good haul. Monk is solid, but he'll be up for a new contract this offseason as a restricted free agent. The Thunder would basically be committing to at least extending a $7.3 million qualifying offer, and would likely have to hand him a long-term deal after seeing him play next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort for only 36 games. Outside that, Zeller would just be salary filler, Carey would be G League material until he proves otherwise, and the Clippers second-round pick is a late second-round pick. Oklahoma City could wait until the offseason or next year to trade Horford and get similar or more value in return.
Why the Hornets don't do this
Monk has averaged about 17 points since the start of February, a stretch that includes performances of 25 points, 29 points and 36 points. If the Hornets think that this is legit and he can do it consistently against high-level competition, they would want to hold on to him. Additionally, Horford is owed $27 million next season and $26.5 million the year after. The Hornets have plenty of salary space, but they could find different avenues for a center and save that money to make a larger splash.
Who says no?
I think the Thunder would prefer to hold onto Horford and see what he could fetch this offseason or at the trade deadline next year. There's no need to rush on trading him, particularly when the reward is a restricted free agent. But if Monk is someone who can space the floor at a high level and drop 20 points on occasion, he's interesting. Change that Clippers pick to a first-rounder and I'd do it. The Hornets might hesitate to give up Monk, but finding a shooter is easier than finding a center who can do what Horford can, especially when they'll have to pay up for Monk next season. This is a trade that favors Charlotte. MORE TRADE WEEK: George Hill proposal for Pelicans; HoopsHype thinks OKC should "be aggressive"
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