Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Charlotte Hornets

While the Charlotte Hornets have looked decent at times this season, some of their biggest problems are on the offensive end of the floor. Based on points per game, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier are the only two reliable scoring options for this team and while Devonte’ Graham, P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges all have the ability to be high-level scorers, they have been inconsistent early on this season. 

Bringing in John Collins solves a lot of the Hornets’ problems on the offensive end of the court and also gives them a high-level rebounder as well. Charlotte currently ranks middle-of-the-pack in the NBA in rebounds per game, and while a lot of this has to deal with Cody Zeller being out, Collins could join this team and immediately become their best rebounder.

Being able to trade for John Collins also signifies that he will be in Charlotte for a long-time to come. Collins is in the final year of his rookie contract and as a result, the Hornets would not make a trade for him unless they received a long-term commitment 

If Charlotte is to finally make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, they will need to add another reliable scoring option anywhere on the court, which is why Collins makes a lot of sense. He is young, he is affordable and Charlotte would be able to keep him long-term. 

The only question marks about acquiring the young forward is if Atlanta is willing to even listen to offers for him. Next to Trae Young, Collins is the Hawks’ second-best young player on their roster and he could be a great player for them for years to come, leading to the skepticism of trading him away.