The Charlotte Hornets have been connected to a surprising trade for a veteran All-Star.
The Charlotte Hornets were one of the most exciting teams in the NBA during the latter half of the 2025-26 campaign, but just missed the playoffs after being eliminated in the play-in tournament.
It's clear that the Hornets are just a couple of pieces away from being legitimate threats in the Eastern Conference, and while further development from some of their young talent will obviously help them reach that next level, adding a veteran or two wouldn't hurt, either.
But what can Charlotte do this summer?
Well, the Hornets do have the financial flexibility to make some plays in free agency, but they also have to be careful not to do so at the expense of their long-term core. Brandon Miller is up for an extension this offseason, for example, and Charlotte also has Kon Knueppel — among others — in the pipeline.
One potential strategy for the Hornets is making trades, that way they also have salary going out in the deals.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently put together a list of potential trade targets for Charlotte in the coming months, and one surprising name surfaced: Golden State Warriors big man Al Horford.
Golden State Warriors forward Al Horford. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images."While Charlotte has gotten good mileage out of the Ryan Kalkbrenner-Moussa Diabaté combo at center, it still might make sense to invest in another 5," Buckley wrote. "Especially a player who would bring a different element to the group, and Horford would add several, like his advanced IQ, floor-spacing and gear-turning passing."
Horford signed a two-year, $11.65 million contract with the Warriors back in October, hoping that he would be able to contend for a championship. Obviously, that did not happen, as Golden State was eliminated from the play-in tournament much like the Hornets.
The 40-year-old played in 45 games this season, averaging 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds over 21.5 minutes per game on 42.6/36.1/84.6 shooting splits.
It's abundantly clear that Horford is no longer the same player from several years ago, but he can still be productive in limited minutes, and his veteran presence and championship pedigree would be very valuable on a young Charlotte squad.
The catch is that Horford has a player option for next season, so if he opts to decline it, he will become a free agent.
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