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00:00 How it's currently lining up seems to suggest more that the team would probably be more likely to go down the cellar route,
00:06 you know, for those guys who may be expiring in the summer, where, like, you know, if you don't move them now,
00:13 you're going to end up just letting them walk and you get nothing back from them.
00:16 Do you think that kind of matches up with what you've heard, more likely to be down that cellar territory,
00:21 also considering how the season has gone with the record at this stage as well?
00:26 I mean, they certainly wanted to be a playing team, and that has not materialized.
00:32 So for them, to me, it's like I think one of the guys you got to look at is Gordon Hayward,
00:38 whether he's potentially tried to be included in trade talks or if he ends up agreeing to a buyout of some kind.
00:48 You got to get more minutes for Brandon Miller, in my opinion.
00:50 To me, when I look at the core of the Hornets, you know, Lamella Ball when he's healthy,
00:55 Brandon Miller on the wing, Mark Williams as the center.
01:01 And that's kind of your core. At the fore, you know, you got to juggle between PJ Washington and Miles Bridges.
01:09 And what's interesting is I do think PJ Washington is going to draw interest from teams.
01:15 He's on a relatively affordable contract.
01:19 And when you look ahead to the years that he signed, it's a little more than the full non-taxpayer mid-level.
01:27 So it's an affordable, tradable contract.
01:29 And he's a good player that can fill different positions and provides versatility.
01:33 There's always been teams that have called on him in the past.
01:36 I would expect so again, that he would draw interest.
01:40 Terry Rozier has always been a guy that's come up in trade rumors as well.
01:44 And I think if you're the Hornets and you do want to go more towards a youth movement,
01:49 then maybe you look to see what you can get for him and gauge the market on him.
01:54 Wouldn't be the first time that's been done.
01:57 But to me, you're doing this all with Lamella Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams in mind as the true foundation of your core.
02:09 I'm glad you mentioned that because that's something that James and I have actually spoken about on our last couple of podcasts,
02:14 is that whatever the approach is going into this deadline, like those three are the ones that fans and couldn't be almost certain are going to be there,
02:22 you know, February 9th, that next morning after the deadline goes past.
02:26 But there are still like, I mean, the Hornets are in a weird spot to me where they're obviously not a good team.
02:31 They don't have much hope of getting into the plan,
02:33 but they still have like a handful of players that if traded would theoretically be helpful for a competitive team that is trying to make that playoff push.
02:41 If you were to rank this group of players, which is Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington and Terry Rozier from least likely to most likely to be traded, how would you rank those four?
02:55 I'll start with a caveat.
02:57 Gordon Hayward, I think a lot of teams are looking at if he becomes a buyout guy.
03:03 If they're trying to trade him, it's a little tougher to match the salary and you'd have to be taking on a contract,
03:09 probably that's got more years down the line than this year.
03:14 It depends on the player.
03:16 But I do know that there's an appetite around the league and people are going to be monitoring if Gordon Hayward becomes a buyout candidate.
03:24 Time will tell if that happens, but that's certainly in the back of minds of playoff contending teams.
03:31 Do you think that feels more likely now than a trade just because of the size, the number of that Hayward contract?
03:36 Obviously, it's over 30 million.
03:37 And like you said, the Hornets have been reluctant to take on long term salary, especially if they've got new front office coming in this summer.
03:44 Do you really want to be taking on, I don't know, a Jordan Poole or an Andrew Wiggins, which has got huge money for the next two or three years?
03:53 I would be surprised if they went that route with Hayward.
03:56 I would be logically surprised if they did and took on more money looking ahead, given the franchises.
04:05 So I would agree with your assessment there.
04:08 I think then after that, some of the guys you mentioned.
04:13 I don't really know how much of a market Miles Bridges would have as a trade candidate, given his contract situation now.
04:21 And if you acquire him now, you'd almost be.
04:27 It'd be almost tougher to keep him, given the restrictions he has, I believe, on his his contract as a guy that took a qualifying offer.
04:35 So to me, the teams that would want him potentially, you just if you want to go sign him in free agency and don't give up an asset.
04:44 You don't retain his bird rights if you trade in the team and traded for him, they don't get his bird rights, which makes re-signing him that much harder.
04:50 Right. And obviously he's looking for more than that.
04:53 That's why he did the qualifying offer and was looking to hit unrestricted free agency sooner than later.
05:00 Some of the other guys you mentioned, again, ultimately, I don't really think they make moves, but I think P.J.
05:05 Washington is going to draw a lot of interest.
05:08 I think. I would then look at maybe Terry Rozier, not saying that he's going to get moved, but teams will call and do due diligence.
05:19 And then you mentioned another player, Chase, who was the other player I'm missing?
05:23 It was just those four. We've already got the well, I mean, other than Hayward, I suppose, but the buyout at least seems like a likely route for him,
05:30 whereas the other guys is nearly impossible to buy them out at this rate.
05:34 It's interesting on the on the Bridges topic, Mike.
05:37 I mean, there's been some reporting around what I think Jake Fisher reported executives around the league are.
05:45 I don't want to incorrectly quote Jake, but there was some expectation that he would explore his options in free agency.
05:51 Does that kind of match up with what you've heard?
05:53 Because obviously, the Charlotte Hornets fans been waiting for Miles Bridges.
05:57 Well, he was suspended for a season, had a suspension at the start of this year, obviously, then took the one year qualifying offer.
06:03 And then if you were to leave for nothing in free agency, I think a lot of people would have quite a sense of bitterness about,
06:09 you know, waiting for someone who then essentially just leaves.
06:12 Is that does that match with kind of what you've heard around the expectations around the league?
06:18 I certainly don't think you take the qualifying offer to get unrestricted free agency unless you you want to.
06:27 You absolutely want to explore your options.
06:30 You know, before the before the incident where Miles was suspended.
06:38 I would say that they were still far apart on talks as far as the value.
06:43 So that alone, outside of obviously what transpired since was part of the reasoning that he wanted to get to free agency sooner.
06:55 And it's hard to get a deal and restricted free agency.
06:58 Very few have even gotten an offer sheet.
07:02 You know, unless you're DeAndre Ayton, somehow, you know, some sometimes it happens.
07:07 But it's very rare. Most times you're either doing a deal with the incumbent team or you're doing a sign and trade.
07:13 So for bridges to become unrestricted and go into free agency where he's still putting up numbers,
07:20 the question becomes who has an appetite for him coming off the legal situation that he has?
07:27 That's the big question. And that's one that's unanswered at this point and won't be known until down the line.
07:34 You know, for Charlotte, you know, they clearly didn't have an issue bringing him back.
07:41 I think the money issue is more where it would be for them, whereas other teams that have cap space,
07:48 I think it's the opposite end of the coin where it's are you comfortable with his legal situation and the public relations?
07:59 We'll go with coverage that comes with that after signing a guy who's got the legal situation that he has.
08:08 Yeah, but I think the only thing is in the new CBA, I believe the Charlotte Hornets will have the option to discuss or negotiate on a deal before free agency starts.
08:17 That's right, isn't it? That's a change in the new CBA.
08:20 So once the season finishes, they could negotiate with bridges ahead before the teams.
08:25 Is that right? Have I got that right?
08:28 I got to be honest with you. I've always been under the impression that people have negotiations before they're supposed to.
08:33 But, you know, that's just me. You can't always you can't always track tampering.
08:41 There's other ways people have, I'm sure, gotten around it in the past.
08:45 But honestly. That's a that's a Bobby Marks, Yossi Gosling, a capologist question more than me.
08:55 You know, I don't I don't remember. But but they've they've had him for so many years now.
09:01 It's you can easily have that conversation behind the scenes.
09:05 Yeah, it's very doable. I know you mentioned about Rozier if they wanted to move him for the youth movement.
09:12 It's interesting because I feel like the Charlotte Hornets fan base and the organization to go backwards through another youth movement.
09:22 Now it feels like we've not even got out the last youth movement.
09:26 Do you think the again, do you think the new ownership have you think they have a sense of direction of where they want to go yet?
09:33 Or do you think, again, it'll be up to whatever the new front office thinks is best that they'll just back them?
09:38 I don't think you buy a team to go into a rebuild.
09:42 You want to get better. Now, the caveat with Terry Rozier is the Hornets record is what it is with them.
09:48 Yeah, I'm with them. So what's the difference if he's on the roster or not?
09:52 It's not a needle moving. Player, respectfully, it's more about the core, the young guys, Lamello, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams.
10:03 That's your future. What are you building around those guys and how are you maximizing them?
10:09 At least in my opinion. And then, you know, Gordon Hayward. I.
10:17 You know, I had spoken to Gordon Hayward when he was in town, checked that out on Hoopsype and, you know, I think he talked about wanting to win.
10:28 That hasn't happened since he's been there and he hasn't always been healthy either, which he acknowledged.
10:33 But if that's what he wants. I would logically surmise that there are other options, too, so then I don't necessarily think he's back.
10:45 And so, again, it comes back to you are trying to win.
10:49 They are going to try to improve and get better. But you're doing it around the core of young players that you have under control.
10:57 And I would also include PJ Washington in that. And the last thing I'd say on PJ is one of the reasons they signed him to that deal was to have protection in case Miles Bridges left.
11:12 Yeah, makes sense. Makes sense. Mike, I know you're running out of time with us here.
11:17 I guess just one last question to leave you with. Are there any players kind of that you've that are on the trade block elsewhere that you think maybe makes sense for the Hornets
11:27 to target again where these wouldn't be big, you know, Zach Levine, Geronte Murray type moves?
11:33 But, you know, this team we talked about in the podcast needs toughness.
11:37 It needs some leadership, some culture.
11:40 And if the Hornets can make a small move here or there to try and address some of that, it also needs some outside shooting.
11:45 Like that's something that I don't think they should wait. They should if that opportunity presents itself, they should look at.
11:51 Is there anyone that you think stands out as a clear guy who would make some sense to pursue?
11:57 I feel like usually in that sense, a team like the Hornets would look at a younger guy, maybe that hasn't had a good situation on another team coming out of a draft that they believe has potential.
12:08 But I don't know. I don't think young guys like that fit them like Davion Mitchell, I don't think would fit them.
12:13 I don't think Patrick Williams would fit them right now.
12:17 And he obviously Chicago will want a lot for him anyway. Going around the league, I almost wonder if they need like.
12:25 I'm not saying in the trademark, but down the line veteran role players that can help with this team and.
12:32 We talked about guys like Nadji Marshall, Royce O'Neal, you know, who's kind of like tough, like gritty guys, because that's just something that this Cody Martin is the only person who probably has that in his DNA and he's just not been on the court enough.
12:44 Yeah, Nick Smith was the only other guy I thought of.
12:48 Yeah, yeah. OK.
12:53 I guess like to formally answer the question, I don't really think you can get anybody until you got you have your direction set for the future.
13:01 I do think that's going to come with a change in the front office eventually.
13:06 And, you know, you would likely say a coaching staff change after that as well.
13:13 You know, again, this Hornets team is well out of the playing picture right now as we're recording this.
13:21 Why would you bring all that back?
13:24 You know, for the new ownership, you don't want to win.
13:28 No, absolutely. Go on, Chase.
13:31 And that's exactly what puts them in such an interesting position to me, too, is because it's like they obviously need to shuffle these deck chairs around pretty significantly.
13:40 But you're not going to like actually do that until you know how you want that to happen and that they're not going to know how until this current regime is replaced in some way with either a new GM or new staff or whatever that may be.
13:53 So I mean, but you could also argue you're never going to be able to get as much for Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, maybe like Nick Richards or something as you're all going to get right now.
14:04 So they've just they've got a very interesting predicament out of them here in the next month.
14:09 And I mean, I don't I'm probably in the same boat as you are now.
14:12 I don't really expect them to do a whole lot either, but they obviously have the opportunity to do so.
14:17 So, yeah, for sure.
14:20 Well, Mike, thanks a lot for giving up your time coming on.
14:22 Best of luck for the rest of the season. Keep up the work you're doing at Hoops Hype.
14:27 And yeah, we will touch hopefully enjoy the trade deadline.
14:29 I know it'll be a busy time for you.