One sneaky good move Jeff Peterson will end up making before the season

With around two months remaining until the NBA's regular season begins, each team has the task to make sure their roster has the league mandated 15 players.

When it comes to the Charlotte Hornets , the squad has 18 players rostered at the current moment. In contrast to recent years, the Buzz have arguably their most NBA-level players since the team selected LaMelo Ball in 2020.

It creates an extremely difficult task for Jeff Peterson and co, who need to find a way to either trade or cut players that in recent years would have made the roster easily. It's a testament to Peterson's roster-building ability, who, instead of cutting G-League level players, will have to move on from NBA level guys.

One name that fans believe is an extreme long shot to make the Hornets roster once the regular season begins is Nick Smith Jr, who will be entering his third season in October.

Smith has been underwhelming to start his career, and the Hornets' improving their guard depth this season has made his roster spot not a guarantee.

His age, contract, and the fact that he was a former first-round pick can all help bring Peterson a solid return, likely nothing more than draft capital. They have fourteen second-round picks from now until 2032, which are becoming an increasingly valuable asset across the league. Every thing mentioned above could see the Buzz secure another pick or two, giving them 15 or 16 second-round picks across seven years.

During a recent episode of Reel Access, Peterson made a comment that caught the attention of several Hornets fans.

"There's going to be a time that we cash in. We take all of our chips, assets, whatever, and we're gonna go get that guy. That's gonna happen at some point, but right now we have to stay committed to our process."

The value of second round picks is higher than ever, and the team has FIVE in 2031. Although dealing Smith for second round picks is not as exciting as fans might think, it could help the team in the long-run, giving them more assets to make a splash.

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