2 players Hornets must trade to take next step after surprise season

For years, the Charlotte Hornets had a young and promising roster, but they just couldn’t seem to develop winning habits. The team finally took a few steps forward this season, even winning a play-in tournament game before ultimately being eliminated from the preliminary postseason event. With LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel, the future is bright in Charlotte.

The team still has a ways to go, though. After all, they didn’t even make the playoffs. There has been a culture shift ever since the Hornets drafted high-IQ, play-now players in the 2025 NBA Draft. In addition to Knueppel, who was a Rookie of the Year candidate, the team found contributors in Liam McNeeley, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James.

The Hornets need to continue making smart roster moves, and that could include trading away some players who don’t fit the culture or trajectory of the team. So, who could be moved this offseason?

The Hornets need to cut their losses on Tidjane Salaun

Prior to changing their draft philosophies, the Hornets were prone to taking big risks when it came to roster additions. Tidjane Salaun is one such example of this. The Hornets took the French forward sixth overall in 2024. Not only was Salaun viewed as a high-risk, high-reward prospect, but Charlotte reached and took him earlier than most evaluations projected him to go.

So far, Salaun is looking like one of the biggest draft busts from his class. With Charlotte’s depth improving, there doesn’t look to be a path to him ever becoming a rotation player with the team. Over two seasons, Salaun has averaged just 5.9 points per game, and he was only on the court for an average of 15.5 minutes over 37 games this past season.

It might make the most sense to hold onto Salaun and see if he develops. He and his lofty draft status are likely worth more to the Hornets than what his trade value would net in a return. Plus, Salaun showed some potential in the G-League this past season, where he won the championship with the Greensboro Swarm. Even so, the Hornets’ personnel moves over the last year make it clear that they might regret drafting Salaun, and therefore, it wouldn’t be too big of a shock if he were traded after just two seasons with the Hornets. Teams might still value his potential and be willing to give the Hornets players who are more likely to help out right away.

Tre Mann might not have a role going forward

Tre Mann is another player who might not have a role going forward. The guard can work as a sixth-man spark plug scorer, but Coby White overtook that role after the trade deadline. White is an impending free agent, but he did enough in Charlotte that the Hornets may look to bring him back. After all, he did hit the game-tying 3-pointer to send the team’s eventual play-in tournament win to overtime.

After showing serious signs of improvement by averaging 14.1 points per game in 2024-25, it was disappointing to see Mann take such a large step back this year. He averaged just 5.5 points and left a lot to be desired in every aspect of basketball outside his brilliant stepback jumper.

If White signs a big contract elsewhere, the Hornets should hold onto Mann because he does have some scoring pop. He is under contract for two more seasons at a reasonable rate, too. If White returns, though, there just isn’t a spot for Mann on Charlotte’s roster.

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