Well, Ball never got healthy, and both Caruso and Williams failed to meet expectations upon their return. "We're going to have enough time in the regular season to see what this group can do when they're all healthy." "We were taking calls, but basically the mutual feeling with all of our group was that, let's get our guys back," executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said, per The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry. The thought process certainly had its merits, as they were seeded third in the Eastern Conference at the time and had several key players-including Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams-working their way back from injury. The Chicago Bulls bet that inactivity trumped any potential move at the trade deadline. While a single position isn't solely responsible for these numbers, it's impossible not to draw parallels between Charlotte's issues at center and its bottom-third rankings in defensive efficiency ( 22nd) and rebounding percentage ( 27th). The point is, they need to do something, as the rest of this roster looks ready to get rolling. The Hornets, of course, could aim even higher this summer and try poaching the likes of Deandre Ayton, Rudy Gobert or Myles Turner. You know what might have worked, though? Trading for Jakob Poeltl, which was reportedly discussed but fell apart amid "haggling over the potential inclusion of a first-round pick," per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. Sure, they tried a few Band-Aid solutions, between trades for Mason Plumlee and Montrezl Harrell and the first-round selection of Kai Jones, but even their best-case scenarios were never going to be good enough. The center position has been a sore spot in Charlotte ever since Al Jefferson exited, which made it startling to see the Hornets not give it more attention over the past calendar year. They could have even kicked the tires on a Kyrie Irving trade and arguably should have since they're now "outright unwilling to give him a long-term extension," per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
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They also plucked a pair of first-round picks in the exchange, which could have been chips for separate exchanges, but neither was dealt. When the Nets finally sent Harden packing, their primary return was Ben Simmons, who hadn't suited up all season and wouldn't from that point forward, either. Still, the 33-year-old needed more help, and Brooklyn had a major trade chip to go find one in the disgruntled (but still super productive) James Harden. So, why weren't they acting with more urgency at the 2021 deadline?ĭespite spinning their tires for much of this season-thanks in no small part to a rash of big-name absences-they had a path to contention by virtue of rostering Durant. The second Kevin Durant decided to come to Brooklyn in 2019, the Nets were on the clock.