Does Malik Monk have too much potential for Hornets to trade him on the cheap?
Should the Charlotte Hornets keep chasing Malik Monk’s progress, or just get whatever they can for him in a trade?
I get that question a lot lately in one form or another. Fans see him score a career-high 31 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, then go 4-of-12 from the field in the next game against the New York Knicks.
With the NBA’s trade deadline approaching Feb. 6, Hornets fans naturally are curious if general manager Mitch Kupchak will make a deal. Kupchak didn’t make any in-season trades during his first season in Charlotte.
Your curiosity about Monk’s future leads this week’s Hornets mailbag:
AFTER A HALF-SEASON OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, WHO HAS THE HIGHEST CEILING AMONG THE YOUNG GUYS, AND IS MONK’S POTENTIAL TOO HIGH TO SELL LOW AT THE TRADE DEADLINE?
Your second question first: I think it would be a mistake for the Hornets to settle for something like a high second-round pick for Monk. A fan reached out to me recently, saying he’d rather see the Hornets get something for Monk now than risk losing him for nothing eventually. I appreciate why that was said, after Kemba Walker’s departure. But I’d rather play this out, on an affordable rookie-scale contract, at least until Monk reaches restricted free-agency, than sell low.
As far as young Hornets’ ceilings, I’d say P.J. Washington and Devonte Graham have established themselves as keepers. That doesn’t mean they’d be untouchable in trade discussions, but those are guys worth long-term investment based on what we’ve seen.
The next level is some combination of Miles Bridges, Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Cody Martin. Any of those guys could be in the rotation of the next Hornets playoff team, but it’s yet to be determined whether they’d be priorities to re-sign.
I’d put Terry Rozier in a separate category; he came here after with four seasons with the Boston Celtics, so he’s not “developmental.” However, he’s still young enough that he could have value beyond the remaining two seasons on his contract.
IS IT FAIR TO SAY THE HORNETS WOULD ONLY CONSIDER TRADES THAT WOULD NET DRAFT PICKS AND/OR YOUNG ASSETS?
The Hornets might not like the word “rebuild,” but that’s what this is. I can’t imagine anything other than picks or young players being attractive now.
Having said that, keep this in mind: If a team offered an attractive draft pick or young player, I could see Kupchak accepting some future guaranteed salary for a veteran as part of that deal. Almost any trade would have to involve roughly matching salaries this season to meet NBA rules. That could have implications beyond this season.
IF THE HORNETS DON’T MAKE TRADES, DO YOU THINK THEY BUY OUT ANY VETERANS?
The term “buyout” in the NBA works like this: A player agrees to give up some portion of the guaranteed salary remaining on his contract in return for being waived.
Generally, but not always, that’s a small percentage of the player’s remaining guarantee — money he’d expect to make back by signing with another team. Often, but not always, a player’s agent initiates buyout discussions, rather than teams.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who has played just 12 games this season, offered to give up some small portion of his $13 million this season to be released. I’d think that’s less likely with the other two veterans on expiring contracts — Marvin Williams and Bismack Biyombo — since they’ve had significantly bigger roles this season.
WHAT IS THE HORNETS’ SALARY-CAP SITUATION THE NEXT TWO SEASONS?
Much better than it has been, after contracts for Biyombo, Williams and Kidd-Gilchrist expire — that trims about $45 million, compared to this season. Another $27 million would trim after Nicolas Batum’s contract expires in July 2021.
Kupchak inherited a cap mess when he replaced Rich Cho as general manager in the spring of 2018. Based on an ESPN report Thursday, next season’s salary cap should be at least $113 million per team. So the Hornets would have abundant cap room for the first time in several summers.
Kupchak told the Observer in September that he doesn’t intend to pursue widespread free-agent signings in the summer of 2020. I agree that next summer is too early in the Hornets’ makeover to be appealing to free agents who would make a significant difference. Kupchak said he’d look into using some of the cap room to retain young players and to facilitate trades.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Does Malik Monk have too much potential for Hornets to trade him on the cheap?."
