Kemba Walker is enjoying his first All-Star selection, being recognized for his outstanding play throughout the course of the season. This is a high accolade and puts him in elite company.
His team, however, is not feeling the highest of highs like he is. After another disappointing loss on Wednesday (giving up a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter), the Hornets find themselves having lost 11 out of their last 12 games and in 11th place in the eastern standings. They are also dealing with injuries to key contributors (Cody Zeller, Ramon Sessions), and the team as a whole is not producing on either offense nor defense the way they should be. They are now left with a difficult decision: should they blow it up?
They have their star in Walker, and an elite glue man in guard/forward Nic Batum, who signed a massive contract in the off-season. But he is having to play the role of a number two scoring option for the squad, when he is a number three at best and better suited to be the team's main distributor. He is a necessary asset the team cannot afford to lose. After those two, anyone is fair game to move in return for future and younger assets.
This current roster is not going to get anything big done in the playoffs, and even if they were to make a run in the last stretch of the season to grab the eighth seed, they will probably get knocked out of the first round. So with the trade deadline coming up soon, it may be time to cut ties with older players eating cap space or trading away young players like Zeller or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist while their value is still relatively high. The most likely outcome is that the Hornets will wait out the rest of the season and hope to still get the playoffs; but at this point, they might as well start tanking to get a better draft spot.
Share This Article
