The Charlotte Hornets are the eighth seed in an extremely top-heavy Eastern Conference with a mediocre 20-23 record. Their situation among the NBA landscape is not ideal. If not for the excellent play of Kemba Walker, the Hornets would not even be competing for a playoff spot. Walker is averaging 25.2 points and 5.7 assists per game on solid efficiency and has had quite his share of clutch moments and scoring outbursts.
Kemba has been spectacular, but will making the playoffs and getting destroyed in the first round really be beneficial for this Charlotte organization in the future? For the last half-decade, the Hornets have remained in basketball purgatory and with the squad that is currently constructed, they seem destined to stay mediocre for the near future. Buzz City has not received a pick in the upper half of the lottery since 2013. The franchise has had no opportunities to select a young star to pair with Kemba Walker. The city of Charlotte is certainly not a free agent destination right now, so management needs to realize that the quickest way for the Hornets to recover from mediocrity is to move Walker and rebuild.
Charlotte should do all in its power to trade Kemba before the trade deadline for draft picks and/or talented young players. Walker is playing the best basketball of his career so it would only make sense for Charlotte to sell high and take advantage of his high trade value. The former UConn star has expressed in the past that he would love to stay in Charlotte for a long time, but the Hornets and Walker have not been able to have much success since his arrival so it is safe to say that Kemba may be a better fit for teams closer to winning. One team that particularly sticks out among potential suitors are the San Antonio Spurs.
A hypothetical deal of Kemba Walker for Marco Belinelli, Bryn Forbes and Jakob Poeltl would make a lot of sense for both sides. The salaries match on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine, meaning this trade would be legal to make. Obviously, San Antonio would be receiving a great player in Kemba who could allow them to make a serious push at a playoff spot in the Western Conference. A trio of LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Kemba Walker led by Gregg Popovich could certainly do some damage in the playoffs.
Moving to what Charlotte receives in the hypothetical, Bryn Forbes and Jakob Poeltl are both talented young players who bring effort and energy every night. They will likely only get better and are solid pieces to add to a team looking to rebuild. Both are starting caliber players — especially for a team who is a non-contender. Lastly, Belinelli is an excellent veteran role player who can shoot the lights out. On a rebuilding team, he would likely not play a major role but is a capable scorer and at just $6 million a year, his contract is very affordable.
It would be best for Charlotte and Kemba Walker to go separate ways. The Hornets will not progress towards relevancy until they ultimately decide to deal him. They need to start over and build a formidable team through the NBA Draft.
