CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte Hornets fans won’t hear Mark Williams’ name yelled in Spectrum Center anymore. The Hornets swapped him for Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, NBA sources confirmed with QCN Thursday.
They also snagged Jusef Nurkic from the Suns to bolster protection in the paint.
“I checked my phone and I see Mark Williams got traded and at first it was just kind of shock. I knew there was a lot of guys I expected us to shop at the deadline to get off, but I wasn’t expecting Mark Williams,” said Jack Hooper.
He runs a live call-in audio show with his friend Dalton through an X community space called “The Hive.” Their show allows fans to share thoughts about gameplay and personnel moves.
They say of their more than 200 listeners, it was still a mixed bag of emotions — but they’re mainly happy to keep LaMelo Ball.
“Once-in-a-generation-type talent for your franchise, at least like every team doesn’t come across a LaMelo Ball, every other draft,” Hooper said. “He has better potential and he’s more of an impact player than even the great Kemba Walker was to me.”
It’s been nearly 10 years since the Hornets were in the playoffs. Just three seasons ago, the team slipped into a play-in game — that it lost by a wide margin. So with the new additions, can the Hornets return to that form?
The Hive hosts think so — but it won’t be soon.
“I think contender is a stretch. You know, you’re very, very far away right?” Dalton said. “I think to me, the moves we made signal didn’t connect as like a depth piece. You got to fix the starting five. The bench can be solid, right? And then if I had to put a timeframe, I’d say at least four years, you got to get playoff experience and fix the roster as well.”
Fans say they like the moves the front office made to set the team up for success in the future. They just wish Williams could’ve stayed around a bit longer.
Williams will host his former team on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles – a game postponed due to the wildfires last month.
