Trade Street Post Presents: Draft Options – First Suggestion

I spent 2-1/2 hours studying the players that are in the NBA draft.  The one thing I discovered is that if a player in the top 6 to 7 doesn’t fall to us, we may want to look into trading down.  I only say this because most of the projections that they have the Hornets drafting at 9 have a big plus and a big minus.  At least 3 that I looked at has great offense and bad to questionable defense.  We want to get someone that would play both sides of the ball…at least I think we do.  Let me start with the 9 players we have under contract to show needs.  By the way, McRoberts is a free agent now…

PGs

Kemba Walker

SGs

Gerald Henderson

Gary Neal

SFs

Michael Kidd-Glichrist

Jeffery Taylor

PFs

Cody Zeller

Cs

Al Jefferson

Bismack Biyombo

Brendan Haywood

These are the 9 under contract.  Adding Seth Curry could help at PG (he was in D-League undrafted).  Ramon Sessions is a FA, so he could also be a PG option.  Don’t draft a PG.

Re-signing McRoberts gives you 2 good options at PF.

Drafting McDermott or Aaron Gordon (#9) would eliminate the need for McRoberts in my opinion (similar game style), but you would have to look for a vet like Jeff Adrien to add to the rotation.  He was putting up really good numbers in Milwaukee.  Picking one of those guys makes me wonder about their faith in Zeller, unless they are cool with drafting a guy to come off the bench at 9.  Looking at age and long term, we may not want to look for a PF at this spot.

Drafting LaVine (#9) gives an athletic PG/SG with time to learn the NBA game.  It makes more sense because it gives more youth at the SG spot where we don’t have youth.  Jeffery Taylor is a young and viable backup at SG or SF.  He could start at SG.  I’m not fond of Henderson anymore, so I’d look for a trade there.  Trading Hendo may cost the #9.

The only other spots to draft where youth is lacking is C.  If Biz doesn’t have a breakout season, we only have Al and Haywood.  Haywood isn’t an option in my opinion.  We should probably shop for a FA center and try to buy out Haywood.  This draft doesn’t have any Cs we should chase.  Honestly, we could look at Greg Oden, Chris Andersen, or even Marcin Gortat.  We need a solid backup for Al.

How about this scenario:

PGs

Kemba Walker

Ramon Sessions

Seth Curry

SGs

Gerald Henderson – Trade Hendo and the #9 pick to Orlando for Aflallo and the #12 pick

Gary Neal

Try to Sign Lance Stephenson

Draft PJ Hairston @ #24

SFs

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Jeffery Taylor

Draft TJ Warren @ #12

PFs

Cody Zeller

Josh McRoberts

Jeff Adrien

Cs

Al Jefferson

Oden or Andersen

Biz

Haywood – Buy him out

Come on Trade Street Post readers, Hornets fans…have I lost my mind?  Am I a genius?

Give me some feedback