Hornets Likely to Move Toward Rebuild in Season’s Second Half

It wasn’t supposed to be this way for the Hornets. After bringing back coach Steve Clifford during the offseason, they were expected to be considered true blue playoff contenders.

But injuries and absences have told a different story, and now, a roster shakeup may be the next step.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, via FanDuel TV, the Hornets are considering moving toward a rebuild ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

“When you look at their record, they’ve been without Miles Bridges all season, they’ve had a lot of injuries — LaMelo Ball has missed a lot of time, Dennis Smith Jr. has missed a lot of time,” Charania said. “Gordon Hayward has missed a lot of time. They’ve just dealt with an onslaught. Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong.”

Because of that, rival teams expect the Hornets to take calls on a lot of their rotation players, including guard Terry Rozier, Charania added.

He went on to list others who are near the end of their contracts, such as forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jalen McDaniels, and center Mason Plumlee.

“They’re going to be open-minded with all those guys,” Charania said. “… There’s going to be playoff teams that have an interest.”

“Look for the Hornets to really move toward a rebuild in the 2nd half of the year”@ShamsCharania on Charlotte losing 5th straight, and last in Eastern Conference ?#RunItBack | https://t.co/Q9hUtUoPZJ pic.twitter.com/rzYliSGHWM

— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) January 17, 2023