Two big trades the Charlotte Hornets could make this summer

Jeff Peterson just completed his first year as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. The Hornets GM showed no reluctance towards making big, uncomfortable deals, sending out Nick Richards, Cody Martin, Vasa Micic, and nearly Mark Williams.

As the offseason begins, the Hornets have several questions about their roster, and how it will look for the foreseeable future.

"The goal is to build a sustainable winner. Nobody is happy we won 19 games this year. It's not fun quite frankly. The goal next year is to win and compete for the playoffs. But I'll double down - we're not going to expedite things and skip steps," Peterson said in his exit interview today.

With Peterson's ability to swing big moves, as well as his comments from today's interviews, makes it seem that this is going to be a big offseason for the Hornets.

So, what could the Hornets do?

Zion Williamson returns to North Carolina

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that they are firing executive vice president David Griffin, who has been with the team for the previous six seasons.

The Pelicans finished the season 21-61, finishing only two games better than the Hornets (19-63). The former Duke star also only played 30 games this season, the fourth time in his six-year career that he played 30 games or less.

So, let's say the Pelicans land another Duke star, this time being Cooper Flagg. Would they look to move on from Williamson, and if so, could the Hornets swing a deal for him?

So, why would each team do this?

New Orleans

For the Pelicans, it's simple. In this world, they just got Cooper Flagg and are now looking to put a squad around him. Miles Bridges is always going to be a fantastic player alongside Flagg, whether it be in Charlotte or somewhere else. His scoring and athleticism perfectly complement the Maine product.

As for Tidjane, this is both the Hornets giving up on Salaun after one season and the Pelicans taking a swing at the French product. The Pelicans are an extremely guard-heavy roster, and Tidjane could find minutes for himself at the forward position. Kelly Olynyk could also be a good mentor for Tidjane, as the 6'11" veteran has lots of similarities in his game to Salaun.

As for Smith, yes the Pelicans have lots of guards. Having said that, they lost Dejounte Murray to an Achilles injury, CJ McCollum is headed into the final season of his deal, and Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy, and Antonio Reeves are the only other guards on the roster. Smith could be the team's main ballhandler with Murray out and would have a better chance of developing in New Orleans, instead of fighting LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, and KJ Simpson for guard minutes.

Charlotte

A legitimate co-star for LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the Hornets would look at a starting 5 of Ball, Miller, (Draft Pick, Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe), Williamson, and Mark Williams. It would be considered one of the better starting young fives in the sport (when healthy), and can easily speed up the Hornets' rebuild.

There are questions about Williamson's ability to stay healthy. At the same time, the Hornets core four of Bridges, Ball, Williams, and Miller played six total games ntogether this season. So, the former Duke star would fit like a glove on this roster.

His athleticism and scoring is the perfect fit for a LaMelo Ball co-star, and LaMelo's ability to shoot and playmake are perfect for a Zion Williamson co-star. Match made in Heaven.

Hornets finally deal Mark Williams

The Hornets already looked to deal Mark Williams at the trade deadline, and the team could look to move him again during the offseason. The emergence of Moussa Diabate and concerns about Mark's body staying healthy have really put the future of Williams in Charlotte into question.

A team like the Warriors could take a swing at Williams, especially given the fact that they have a need at center. With the Warriors trying to capatilize on the few years Stephen Curry has left, why not bring in Mark Williams?

Golden State

The Warriors need a center. They are currently starting Draymond Green at the position, and he has been spectacular in filling out the center role. However, Draymond is still undersized, which has proven for matchup issues.

For example, during yesterday's matchup with the Clippers, the Warriors looked much better with Kevon Looney on Ivaca Zubac than Draymond. Mark Williams could be that piece they are looking for.

As for Kuminga, who has not been discussed with, his future with the Warriors is uncertain. The former G-League Ignite star is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and is coming off a DNP in a game that Steve Kerr managed like a playoff game. His playstyle is redundant to Jimmy Butler, and it could cause the Warriors to move on in the offseason.

Charlotte

So, Charlotte calls about him. LaMelo Ball's playmaking ability make any lob threat, well, a threat. Kuminga has bounce through the ROOF, and still has potential that has not been tapped into yet.

Kuminga averaged 15.3 points this season, and is still raw as a player. Charles Lee's development program in Charlotte could be perfect for the young star, especially since there is an abundance of open touches that he could find with the Hornets. Kuminga is still a score-first player, which could be important for a Charlotte team who sees its stars bounce in and out of the lineup.

One other piece to note with a deal like this, is that if the team acquires Kuminga they may have to move on from Bridges. Both Kuminga and Bridges play an extremely similar brand of basketball, and it's redundancy may cause the Hornets to keep the player they just dealt Mark Williams for.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Taj Gibson gives enticing sales pitch for pending free agents to consider the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets clinch a spot for best odds in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery

Former Charlotte Hornet guard Isaiah Wong signs with overseas team

Breaking down Nick Smith Jr.'s sophomore year with the Charlotte Hornets