Which teams could take on Nick Smith Jr.'s contract for draft capital?

The NBA's new CBA, which started in 2023, has made making trades more difficult than ever.

Salary dumps are more prevalent than ever as teams try to avoid the dreaded second apron, but there are more difficulties in finding another team that can make said deal.

One of the more notable salary dumps we have seen this offseason is where the Boston Celtics traded center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, where the return was Georges Niang. They then flipped Niang into RJ Luis, a rookie on a two-way contract. In essence, the team turned a $30 million per year deal into a non-guaranteed contract.

While the Charlotte Hornets are not likely looking for a salary dump, they could be searching for a player-for-picks deal, as the team tries to cut the roster down to the league-mandated 15.

The squad has 18 rostered players, and one name that has continually been in rumors as a likely candidate to be playing in a new home next season is Nick Smith Jr. The third-year guard out of Arkansas is expected to make $2.71 million next season, in his second-to-last season of his rookie deal.

After the acquisitions of Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie, and health for LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, the Hornets now have a serious logjam at the guard position. While having guard depth is extremely important for a team with LaMelo Ball on it, Smith is an interesting case.

It's clear the guard needs the ball in his hands to further his development. He's averaged eight points to begin his career, shooting 39.1% from the field and 36.9% from three. Entering year three, Smith has an incredibly difficult pathway to play.

Nick's inconsistencies in play on the court have made it difficult to understand who he is as an NBA player. He's shown flashes of being a great role player in the league, while also having stretches where fans question how he's made the NBA.

I have been operating with the opinion that as the season begins, the Hornets will buy out Pat Connaughton, cut/trade DaQuan Jeffries, and trade Smith Jr.

With the Hornets still needing to cut the roster down, a trade around Nick Smith Jr. would either need to see only draft capital in return or a player the team could easily release.

While every NBA team could send out 2 million in a contract they plan to release for Nick Smith, which teams could simply send out draft capital for the guard? Well, it's a lot:

The Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Wizards, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Utah Jazz.