After going 7-25 through the first 32 games of the season while dealing with a series of injuries to their best players, the Hornets have gone 12-9 over the last month and a half as they've become healthier and more accustomed to each other on the floor.
New Orleans Hornets trade rumors: Could Eric Gordon be dealt?
The Hornets are one of the most promising young teams in the NBA, but they still need to figure out what to do with their franchise player first.
Kevin C. Cox
A playoff push is not in the cards this season, but New Orleans has everything in place to become a perennial playoff contender in the coming years. There's no pressing need for them to make any moves at the trade deadline, but they do need to figure out whether Eric Gordon can stay healthy, happy and productive in a Hornets Pelicans uniform.
The Gordon Dilemma
Gordon, one of the most talented young SG's in the NBA, was the centerpiece of the package they received from the Clippers for Chris Paul. However, in his two seasons in New Orleans, Gordon has played a grand total of 27 games and has shown only flashes of the talent that made him look like a future All-Star in L.A.
The relationship between the two sides reached a boiling point this off-season, when Gordon, a restricted free agent, did everything in his power to prevent the Hornets from matching the max contract offer sheet he signed with the Suns. In interviews this season, Gordon has remained non-committal about his desire to stay with the franchise, which has kept his name popping up in trade rumors.
However, it’s almost impossible for New Orleans to get fair value in a trade for a player who can’t stay on the floor. Gordon is still rounding into shape after missing the first two months of the season rehabbing his right knee, the same knee that kept him out for almost the entirety of last season.
What makes it so difficult for the Hornets is that if he can stay healthy and if he buys into their long-term plan, he fits in perfectly with the talented young core they’ve been building.
A Bright Future
While Anthony Davis has been under the radar for most of the season, the No. 1 overall pick from Kentucky has been everything the Hornets could have hoped for as a rookie. Despite being a physically underdeveloped 19-year old, he’s more than held his own, averaging 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks on 51.4 percent shooting for an eye-popping 20.5 PER.
A somewhat unexpected surprise has been the play of Grievis Vasquez, whose flourished this season as the team’s starting PG. At 6’6 210, the 26-year old has great size for the position and he flirts with a triple-double regularly, averaging 14.7 points, 9.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds a game.
Up front, New Orleans has received solid if not spectacular play from two key additions they made this off-season. Robin Lopez has given them size at the center position while Ryan Anderson has turned himself into a prototype "stretch 4".
The only disappointment has been the play of Austin Rivers, their other lottery pick. Rivers, a shoot-first SG whose shot terribly for most of the season, clearly has a long way to go before he can be a reliable NBA contributor, even off the bench.
A Pristine Cap Situation
With so many talented young players, New Orleans is an almost ideal situation salary-wise. Dealing Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza over the summer removed all of the "dead money" from their roster and they have only $34 million on salaries on the books for next season.
Even after a possible extension for Vasquez, the Hornets will have the roster flexibility and the cost-controlled young assets to insert themselves in trade talks throughout the NBA this off-season, when many teams will be looking to cut salary in order to get under the luxury tax line.
As a result, unless something extremely attractive falls in their lap, they have no need to make any serious moves at the deadline.
See More:
