Predicting five moves the Charlotte Hornets will make this off-season

It's no secret, the Hornets have been one of the bottom teams in the league across the past three seasons. With that in mind and new ownership over a year in, there will be decisions to make and opportunities that they need to take advantage of.

It's once again a very important off-season for the Hornets as they need to continue to put the team in a place to sustain long-term success and build for the future. Let's look at five moves I predict the Hornets to make this off-season.

No. 1 - Hornets stay at four and select VJ Edgecombe + package their second-round picks to move up

It's still a month out, but it seems like the Hornets will select VJ Edgecombe with the fourth pick in the 2025 draft. I don't see the Hornets looking to trade the pick, but they'll most likely listen to offers.

I don't expect the Hornets to actually use both of their second-round picks due to their roster size and the ability to use them to move up into the first round. The Hornets hold the 33rd and 34th picks, and I believe it's likely they package those together to select higher or trade one of them away for a future pick.

No. 2 - Hornets re-sign Tre Mann to a two or three-year contract

One of the best likely scenarios this off-season is the Hornets re-signing Tre Mann to a contract this summer. Mann was well on his way to a career season before suffering a back injury 14 games into the season.

Although the injury was very unfortunate, it may play right into the Hornets' hands in re-signing him to a more team-friendly contract, which may not have happened if he hadn't had that injury. His market seems to be very low, and his loyalty still seems to remain with the Hornets despite being a restricted free agent.

No. 3 - Hornets get involved in a three-team trade involving a superstar

Last summer, the Hornets were involved in a six-team trade that sent Klay Thompson to Dallas. The Hornets received Josh Green in exchange for second-round compensation.

I expect the Hornets to be apart of trades like that this off-season, especially with the rumors of potential superstars on the move like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. Those teams will likely be in need of a third-team trade partner for the deal to make sense with contracts and such.

The Hornets new ownership has done a very impressive job of sliding into trades and receiving solid players, while not giving up much at all. The Hornets also were a facilitator in the massive Knicks-Timberwolves trade before the season started.

No. 4 - Hornets sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a contract in free agency

The Hornets have never been a team to make their hay in free agency, but signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be a step in the right direction. Walker has playoff experience and would be an ideal fit in the system that Charles Lee is putting into place.

Walker is still relatively young and is also a perfect 3&D threat at the guard position. The Hornets would likely have to offer more than other teams, which may be difficult depending on what he's looking for, but I wouldn't be surprised if the team were to be extremely interested in him during free agency.

No. 5 - Hornets trade Jusuf Nurkic in a separate deal

In February, the Hornets acquired Jusuf Nurkic from the Suns in exchange for Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic. Nurkic has been an important veteran for a young Hornets team, but due to his contract being over $18 million in his final year of his deal, I'd expect his chances of being moved are relatively high.

I would think that Nurkic would be moved as a salary filler to match contracts in another trade during the off-season. Teams shouldn't be too worried about his contract since it's just one year remaining.

As well, his fit with the Hornets doesn't really match where they're heading at this point, but I doubt ownership would force a trade involving the 30-year-old. If they're unable to find a fair trade, then I'd expect they will keep him, but I believe they'll find a trade partner.

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