Does this trade make sense for the Hornets?
Overall, this trade does not make much sense for the Hornets for two reasons. Not only would Montrezl Harrell be in the final year of his contract if they were to acquire him next season, but there will be much better frontcourt options for them to potentially sign in free agency.
Andre Drummond, Richaun Holmes, Enes Kanter and even their current big man, Cody Zeller, are all going to be unrestricted free agents this coming offseason in addition to Montrezl Harrell, should he decline his player option.
The Hornets will have plenty of options on how to spend their cap space and even if it is giving Zeller a one-year contract, that would still be a solid move since Jonas Valanciunas, Jusef Nurkic, DeAndre Ayton and Julius Randle could all become free agents in 2022.
If the Hornets really want Montrezl Harrell, they could pull off this trade for him, but it is in their best interest to wait either until he opts out of his player option for the 2021-22 season or wait until he becomes a free agent after next season. Getting Harrell is not going to push them into the championship conversation in the Eastern Conference, which is why this move is not 100% necessary for the Hornets to pursue.
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Getting Harrell could definitely improve the Hornets playoff chances next season and make them a better overall team, but he is not a franchise changing player and is nothing more than a key rotation guy. The best thing the Hornets can do as an organization is to keep their young core intact and to continue building and adding talent around them.
