NBA insider: More people should be talking about Hornets' Collin Sexton move

The Charlotte Hornets made one of the more under-the-radar moves this offseason when they traded Jusuf Nurkic for Collin Sexton and a second-round pick. This is probably because neither Nurkic nor Sexton is necessarily a household name, and the Utah Jazz and Hornets combined for 36 wins in 2024-25.

That shouldn't be the case, NBA insider Zach Kram said. He believes it's one deal no one is talking about, but should be. Similar examples from other insiders included the Isaac Okoro-Lonzo Ball trade, the Detroit Pistons landing Duncan Robinson, and the Los Angeles Lakers getting Jake LaRavia.

About the Sexton trade, though, Kram said, "For the small cost of center Jusuf Nurkic, Charlotte added a future second-round pick and Sexton, who has averaged 24 points and six assists per 36 minutes on strong efficiency over the past three seasons. In the short term, Sexton should help Charlotte as an extra scorer next to Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. In the long term, given his expiring contract, he could serve as a valuable trade target for a contender at the deadline, potentially bringing Charlotte even more draft picks."

Either way, this trade was well-executed on Charlotte's behalf. Nurkic is on the decline and 30 years old, so he was absolutely going to be traded at some point. Sexton is 26, and he could be a long-term bench option in Charlotte. Even if he's not, he's going to end up being one of the most coveted guards at the next trade deadline.

So Charlotte either gets a bench option that raises the floor of the second unit drastically for a few seasons in his prime, or they get half a season of that and some more assets. And they nabbed a future second-round pick all for Nurkic, who has not been particularly effective in a few seasons.

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