Charlotte Hornets
Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers:
Charlotte is just one of those teams that don’t really have a lot to offer the Portland Trail Blazers. Many of their valuable assets are young players who Charlotte would be reluctant to part with or will be free agents this offseason. These factors combined with an already mediocre team to begin with makes it slim pickings for Portland.
One player who could bring some depth to the guard position is 24-year-old rookie Caleb Martin. He and his twin brother Cody both made their NBA debuts this season for the Hornets and played fairly well all things considered.
While Cody played in more games, Caleb had a great run of form at the end of the season that should not go unnoticed. In the month of March, Caleb averaged over 12 points per game and shot an absurd 14 of 22 from long range. This along with his above-average defense across multiple positions makes him an intriguing asset for any team.
Why It Makes Sense for the Charlotte Hornets:
Since losing Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics in free agency last summer, the Charlotte Hornets have been in rebuild mode. Teams looking to rebuild are looking for two things, young prospects and draft picks.
Charlotte is giving up a promising fairly young player in Caleb White but they would be receiving another young player and a draft pick in return. Mario Hezonja had a poor season in Portland but he did show potential over the two seasons previous in Orlando and New York and would be a solid rotation piece for the Hornets.
Taking a flier on a former top-five pick who hasn’t even turned 25 yet is relatively risk-free for Charlotte and they get a second-round pick in 2022 as well, always valuable for a team looking to rebuild.