Charlotte Hornets
As the Charlotte Hornets prepare for a new era for the franchise, they could theoretically be a team that should be willing to bite the bullet on the Lonzo Ball contract if it meant adding a few future assets in the process. And in this hypothetical deal, that’s exactly what the Bulls would help the Hornets accomplish. In this deal, the Bulls would send Lonzo Ball, their protected 2024 first-round pick, and three second-round picks to the Hornets in exchange for Terry Rozier.
After adding Brandon Miller and Nick Smith Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, the expectation is that this team is going to try to clean the slate and begin a new build around LaMelo Ball, Miller, and Smith. Having Lonzo join his brother in Charlotte, even if it is just in a rehab and recovery stint, would also be quite the story.
On the other side of it, the Bulls would also land Rozier which would help extend this team’s chances of making noise in the Eastern Conference with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
If the Hornets were going to hold off on making a big move in free agency, this could very easily be a path worth pivoting toward.