Pelicans Rumors: 5 teams without enough to offer for Anthony Davis

Charlotte Hornets

Like the Pelicans, the Charlotte Hornets are at an important crossroads this summer. Their best player, Kemba Walker, is an unrestricted free agent, and the team will need to sell him on their future plans if they expect him to stick around for the rest of his prime in Buzz City. The Hornets desperately need to do something big.

Trading for Anthony Davis would be big.

But… yikes. Charlotte’s payroll and roster composition is a mess outside of Kemba. It’s full of aging and/or injury prone dudes on massive contracts that David Griffin will want absolutely no part of. No one is taking on the $15 million+ contracts of Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams, Bismack Biyombo, or Nic Batum.

Outside of these players, the only young guys with some semblance of upside are Malik Monk and Miles Bridges. Both these players are only 21 years old and have shown flashes of potential, but these are absolutely not AD-worthy trade chips in the same way that say a Jayson Tatum or Zion Williamson would be.

Charlotte’s draft pick is in the lottery, currently projected to be the #12 pick. They technically have a shot to jump into the top 4 in the 2019 NBA Draft if they have some major luck fall their way, but it’s less than a 5% chance. Stranger things have happened, but don’t bank on it, Charlotte fans.