Hornets make right call by becoming sellers ahead of trade deadline

For Charlotte, cleaning house is the right move. 

The Hornets (10-31) entered the season with hopes of contending for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but injuries have derailed them. The biggest blow was the loss of star guard LaMelo Ball, who missed 20 games due to an ankle injury. (Charlotte went 3-17 over that stretch). 

As new blood takes over majority ownership from Michael Jordan, the Hornets should make only three players untouchable ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline: Ball, second-year center Mark Williams and rookie guard Brandon Miller. 

These three form an exciting core for the organization to build around — if, of course, Ball and Williams can stay healthy. Miller, meanwhile, is quietly emerging as a star, averaging 14.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 30.5 minutes a game. 

Besides those three, new majority owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall should be willing to move on from anyone else on the roster or in the front office. 

On the roster, most of the other players are injury-prone, off-court distractions or non-factors.

Meanwhile, head coach Steve Clifford was a panic hire when Charlotte couldn't land Kenny Atkinson or Mike D'Antoni as a replacement for James Borrego. General manager Mitch Kupchak has put just one winning season on his résumé since taking over in 2018. 

As the franchise heads into a new era, it should be with a new GM and head coach. 

Charlotte is projected to have the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which would be its third time picking in the top four in five seasons. Per Yardbarker contributor Pat Heery's 2024 mock draft, the Hornets will use that pick on another big guard, 6-foot-5 Ja'Kobe Walter of Baylor. 

Charlotte's professional sports teams have made headlines for everything but winning lately. Whether it's the meddling of owner David Tepper in the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC or the domestic violence issues of the Hornets' Miles Bridges, losing and controversy have dogged the city's pro teams.

Given the way Tepper's tenure has gone with the Panthers, Hornets fans probably will have reservations about Plotkin and Schnall. But they inherit one of the most exciting young guard pairings with Ball and Miller and a potential defensive and rebounding anchor in Williams. 

If ownership plays its cards right before the trade deadline and the NBA draft on June 27, the Hornets could become a playoff team faster than many think.