The Charlotte Hornets’ most significant trade deadline day deal since Mitch Kupchak joined the organization in 2018 has officially been finalized, a move that sends center Montrezl Harrell to Buzz City and Ish Smith, Vernon Carey Jr. and a protected 2023 second-round pick back to the Washington Wizards.
With Harrell, the Hornets add a jolt of depth to their frontcourt rotation, an area that has struggled at times this season to finish, rebound and protect the rim. Harrell is averaging 14.1 points on the NBA’s fourth-best field-goal percentage (64.5%, which his best since 2016-17), 6.7 rebounds and a career-high 2.1 assists in 46 appearances this year, which includes three starts.
“It’s obvious if you watch him play, he plays with a great deal of energy and passion,” says Kupchak, the team’s President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. “That goes a long way on the court, in the locker room. That’s going to be something really welcomed to this group. He’s one of the elite finishers in the NBA, a very good rebounder, particularly a very good offensive rebounder. Those are things we felt we needed. We’re going through a little bit of an injury segment in our season and we felt to add a player that can come in right away and play would give us a boost, give our guys a chance to heal and hopefully win some games.”
Currently, the Hornets rank 19th in offensive rebounding (26.4%), 23rd in defensive rebounding (71.2%) and 29th in total rebounding (48.2%) percentages, as well as 16th in restricted area field-goal percentage (63.9%). The squad is also fourth in paint scoring (49.5) and 16th in second-chance points (13.1), two areas that are major strengths of Harrell. The incoming big man should also immediately provide another lob threat for All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.
At the time just one year removed from winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, Harrell was acquired by the Wizards last summer as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers. The now 28-year-old was originally drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets in 2015 and was also part of the trade that sent Chris Paul from the LA Clippers to Houston in June of 2017.
Not only will the Tarboro native be returning to his home state of North Carolina, he’ll also be reunited with Terry Rozier, who he played with at the University of Louisville from 2013-15. The former Cardinal teammates were both All-ACC Second Team honorees in 2015, when they helped lead Louisville to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
For the time being and given the Hornets’ current rash of injuries, expect Harrell to slide into the backup five spot behind Mason Plumlee, which could push PJ Washington to heavier power forward minutes. Rozier will likely be staggered more into the second unit as the primary ball-handler, now that Smith has departed. Also look for rookie James Bouknight to potentially get some additional backcourt minutes as well.
Adds Kupchak, “[Harrell’s] a little undersized, but he makes up for it with his length, passion and energy. We do see him playing more five in today’s game. Setting a high pick-and-roll, now he’s at the basket for a lob or offensive rebounds, finishing plays. Miles Bridges has played some small-ball five, so maybe there will be some minutes to go play the three since Gordon’s injured. Coach Borrego is going to have to manage, but primarily, [Harrell] will get most of his minutes at the five position.”
It might not have been the most eye-popping NBA trade of the week (see James Harden for Ben Simmons and also, Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield), but the Hornets made a fantastic low-risk, high-reward addition to their roster on Thursday afternoon. A seasoned veteran who has been to the playoffs five of his first six seasons in the NBA, Montrezl Harrell is the type of hard-nosed competitor who can certainly move the needle for a Charlotte team looking to make a postseason push.