So today is technically the start of free agency, but stuff has already happened en masse, both for the Charlotte Hornets and the league as a whole. Let’s hit the highlights:

Charlotte Hornets

• Traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a bunch of possible pick swaps, and an unprotected 1st round pick in 2033
• Traded Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns for Royce O’Neale, Grayson Alle, and an unprotected 1st round pick in 2033
• Exercised the team option on Pat Connaughton

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges trades, and surely we’ll continue to hash that out for a while. The Hornets also did a sneaky exercise of Connaughton’s team option, which may end up being irrelevant since it’s an unguaranteed deal. It keeps him around as potential trade filler and a veteran presence as long as there’s room for him to stick around.

Rest of League

This is not a comprehensive list because too much has happened, but some of the stuff I’ve found interesting:

• Even though teams aren’t allowed to negotiate yet, somehow it’s already been reported that Jalen Duren is going to be negotiating with the Kings and Lakers and will potentially sign there in a sign-and-trade deal.
• Draymond Green opted out of his contract so the Warriors can try to put together a 2016 super team of Green, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. James is a free agent and has supposedly had little contact with the Lakers. No idea what the Warriors could trade to get Davis. Also Kristaps Porzingis re-signed, and I completely forgot he was there and even that he existed at all.
• The Grizzlies are trading Ja Morant to the Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
• The Clippers and Raptors are discussing a possible Kawhi Leonard trade, and apparently he wants to go back to the Raptors if the Clippers won’t keep him. So wishy washy.
• Marcus Smart opted out of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent.

What to Watch For

It doesn’t feel like this offseason is a finished product for the Hornets, so I expect there to be some activity in the coming days. There are so many directions that Jeff Peterson can go, and it entirely depends on what the goal is. There are avenues to improve the team to start competing for playoff basketball immediately, and there is room to do more asset collection. I know most people are rooting for the former, myself included. A couple of names to keep an eye on:

• With the Ja Morant trade, the Blazers now have a point guard rotation of Morant, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Jrue Holiday. It’s hard to envision them keeping all of those guys. Jrue Holiday might be the odd name out, and he’d be a perfect fit as a backup guard for this season, though his contract for the next two years might be prohibitive.
• Speaking of backup guard fits, Marcus Smart is an unrestricted free agent, and he’s exactly the type of player this front office has been looking for. The team has the midlevel exception to offer, though Smart probably won’t even command that much.
• If the Kings make a play for Jalen Duren, that surely means that Domantas Sabonis will be on the move. And he may be on the move either way. He’d be a great get to connect the roster from the starting center spot.
• The Hornets have been talked about as a potential suitor for Jaylen Brown, but the more I read about it, the less likely it seems to me, especially upon coming to the realization that Brown has a negative on/off rating in each of the last four years, including this past season with very little Jayson Tatum. That doesn’t seem like a player the analytically minded Hornets front office would go after.

There are countless other things that could happen. We typically see a bunch of players swap teams in ways no one anticipated, which opens the door for other unanticipated moves. The Hornets are surely going to get in on some of those in some form or fashion. They always do.

Let’s chat about all the stuff that happens as it happens. Free agency technically starts at 6:00pm, but I’m sure there’s going to be more news in advance of that. If anything Hornets-specific pops up, you know we’ll have you covered.