Jan 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) during the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

NBA analyst names three players the Hornets must target this offseason

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 28, 2025 8:41 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets probably don't have a busy offseason ahead. They're not likely to make a huge splurge signing or do a blockbuster, league-shattering trade. They will, however, try to make smaller moves that improve the team as they continue their seemingly never-ending rebuild.

Who should they target in those moves? Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz has three names Charlotte should be all over this offseason. First, the Hornets need to go after Trey Murphy from the New Orleans Pelicans.

"The Hornets ranked 28th overall in three-point shooting (33.9 percent) and should be thrilled to add a forward like Murphy, who averaged 21.2 points last season and owns a lifetime mark of 38.3 percent from deep," Swartz noted.

The analyst said Charlotte, if they keep LaMelo Ball (which all signs point to), should be looking to add to their core with Ball, Miller, and whoever they pick fourth overall. The second name was Anfernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers.

"Simons can play either guard position and run the offense when Ball is on the bench or inevitably misses time due to injury," Swartz argued. Finally, the B/R writer argued that the Hornets should make a trade for center Walker Kessler, a rim protector who played briefly nearby at UNC.

"Kessler would give Charlotte a potential franchise center to build around since the Hornets already tried to trade Mark Williams last year," he pointed out. Williams is far from a good defender. While Kessler (109.2 offensive rating) is not known as a dominant scorer, he was better offensively than Williams (106.3) last season.

The move for Kessler would also allow them to trade Williams, so they'd come out without a huge asset loss. They'd probably have to pay more for Kessler than they'd get in return for Williams after last season's failed trade, but they could come out without a gaping hole in their capital.