You can never have enough scoring in the NBA. The Charlotte Hornets apparently agree with this, and for that reason, they’re reportedly on the verge of acquiring Lakers guard Lou Williams. This, of course, means that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are working with each other to make a move.
Charlotte aggressively pursuing Los Angeles guard Lou Williams, league sources tell ESPN. As @ESPNSteinLine notes, most likely to be dealt.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 21, 2017
The one move widely expected from the Lakers' Magic Johnson-led front office this week is trading Lou Williams. No need for LW when tanking
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 21, 2017
MJ and Magic having trade negotiations would be fun to listen in on. https://t.co/gtoWIVfuCX
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 21, 2017
Williams has been great for the Lakers this year, as the explosive guard is averaging a career-high 18.6 points a night despite coming off the bench in all but one game. However, as Stein notes, if Johnson wants the Lakers to tank this year to acquire one of the many highly-regarded players in the 2017 Draft, there really isn’t any need for a 30-year-old guard who comes off the bench.
As for the Hornets, you can make the case that no team needs to do something at the deadline as much as Charlotte. The team is only 2.5 games back of the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference, but since the start of 2017, the Hornets boast a 5-17 record. Outside of Kemba Walker, the team really doesn’t have a consistent scoring threat, and by offensive rating, Charlotte is ranked 19th in the league.
Basically, Michael Jordan has to go out and get someone at the trade deadline to give this team a shot in the arm. Williams seems like he’d be a perfect fit. If this deal goes down – and based on Haynes’ report, it could happen – the Hornets may end up making one of the most logical deadline deals that we’ll see this year.
Even if Williams doesn’t end up going to Charlotte, it sounds like he’ll be on the move regardless. This is definitely one to watch heading into Thursday.
