Dream offseason mode: How the Hornets could rebuild without blowing it all up

The Charlotte Hornets have yet another offseason to try and turn things around. It's the ninth year in a row their offseason has begun before other teams, which means it's high time things changed. There is a path to a much better team this offseason, though it might be a dream.

For the purposes of this article, we'll try to be at least a little realistic. Trading everyone but LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller would be sweet and would really help them rebuild in the next couple of years, but it's not at all realistic.

First things first, they need to trade Miles Bridges. While he was their most consistent player last year and one of their healthiest, he's on a costly $25 million salary and is going to be 27 by the time next season begins. That's far from ancient, but it ages him out of the current core. This also frees up some cap space, although Charlotte may have to salary match depending on who they send Bridges to.

Secondly, they also need to trade Josh Green. He's not as old and not as costly, but he's just been far from impactful in Charlotte. This would clear up some space, but not much. It's mostly about moving on from a failed experiment and opening up a spot in the lineup.

With some savvy moves, the Hornets can open up some cap space. Currently, they don't have much at all, but with trades like these, they can create some flexibility. If they do, they need to make a run at Naz Reid.

Reid was Minnesota's best offensive player (tied with Anthony Edwards in offensive rating), and they made the Western Conference Finals. He was also the fourth-best defender on the team among players who hit 40 games played, so he was a well-rounded player. Reid is a little bit undersized, but the Hornets can use him at power forward alongside Mark Williams down low.