Mailbag: Who could Hornets move by trade deadline? Will they bring back Miles Bridges?

New Year, same Charlotte Hornets.

Injuries have wrecked their season before it even reaches the halfway point and time is quickly running out to turn things around. As usual, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Hornets.

In this latest mailbag, we answer reader queries about whether the team plans to re-sign Miles Bridges, the possibility of Terry Rozier getting traded, James Bouknight’s future and more.

Terry Rozier’s future

Brandon Robinson asks on Threads: How soon is Terry traded? This window or this summer? I’d hate to see him go but he’s the only guy we could get a return on.

That’s going to be one of the major decisions the Hornets have to make over these next few weeks leading into the Feb. 8 deadline. Rozier is one of the franchise’s most treasured players because of his mentality and ability to serve as the main voice in the locker room. He organized the offseason workouts in September. And even though moving him would open up a roster spot and give Brandon Miller and others more playing time, shipping Rozier off would rip the heart and soul out of the team.

The Hornets have to carefully balance whether Rozier’s presence coincides with their timeline to develop their young talent while also trying to build a winner. Should they deem a separation is best for both sides, moving him in the summer rather than next month may bring more of a fruitful return.

Fixing Hornets’ roster

Regulator asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: Are the Hornets better off pursuing a player at the trade deadline or waiting until the offseason to increase the talent level of this team?

Pursuing an upgrade at the trade deadline makes little sense for the Hornets at this juncture unless they are getting players back who could help them long-term in a position of need. They shouldn’t tie up cap space in projects. They have enough youth on the roster as it stands. There’s been times in the past few seasons where GM Mitch Kupchak could have pulled the trigger and bought in players who were in the final years of their deals but elected not to.

And the Hornets will probably take a similar approach again, unless the new ownership group tells Kupchak to break it all down and have a fire sale.

Plans for Miles Bridges?

Nichole Williams asks on X: Are we going to keep Miles?

Nothing is a given in free agency, but it’s hard to see the Hornets letting Bridges leave for nothing. They wouldn’t have stuck with him up until this point just let him walk away and not get something in return.

Business-wise that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They took a lot of flak for re-signing him and the criticism continued after more allegations surfaced in October. That’s not something you elect to deal with for just a few months of that player’s tenure. You’re thinking beyond this season.

Now, whether Bridges actually returns is a question that will depend on several scenarios — many of which are still going to be determined and we won’t know until after the season is over. That’s when there will be a clearer picture of Bridges’ market and who else — if anyone — would want his services.

Hornets’ ownership

Ben asks on X: Why does Hornets leadership have no sense of urgency to get the franchise out of the pit? I assume they attribute the struggles to the injury issues but shouldn’t someone be held accountable for the failure of this franchise?

The new ownership group only came into place in late July and it’s probably a little unfair at this juncture to say there is no sense of urgency. If this were truly status quo and there wasn’t a new vision slowly being developed behind the scenes, that’s one thing. Would you prefer the new ownership group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin took the approach of Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and began firing everybody in the organization who doesn’t perhaps agree with their taking?

The new ownership group wants to see what works and what doesn’t work, and then kind of go from there. So, after this season, there will likely be a deep evaluation and some changes organizationally. But to make it seem like this new ownership group doesn’t feel the fans’ pain is a little disingenuous.

Bryce McGowens

Jason Bourne asks on X: Bryce McGowens sure isn’t attempting many shots even when he gets a lot of minutes. Is this what the coaching staff wants?

The coaching staff wants McGowens to take the best shot. Similar to most of the other Hornets, he’s at his best when he’s not overthinking the situation. And if his shot is not falling or his drives to the basket are being eaten up defensively, he might be trying to make the extra play instead of taking the open shot.

As a second-year player and someone being shuffled back-and-forth as a reserve and starter due to all the injuries, he’s still learning the game and these moments should only help him as he continues to grow. Given his work ethic, he’ll figure it out and could be a very nice complimentary piece for the Hornets down the road.

James Bouknight

Nope asks on X: Do the Hornets plan to trade Bouknight or are they going to let him go in the offseason?

By not picking up the option in his contract in October, that let everyone know the Hornets’ thinking and where things stood with Bouknight. So, to keep him on the roster beyond the trade deadline doesn’t make very much sense. They also won’t be able to get a whole lot for him on the market since any team could just sign him in the offseason.

But a team looking for depth or someone to come off the bench and provide a spark on occasion may be willing to part with a future second-round draft pick or someone who could be waived once acquired to create a roster spot.