Cody Zeller of the Charlotte Hornets (Photo : Jeremy Brevard / Reuters)
Cody Zeller is in the center of NBA trade rumors as the Charlotte Hornets may have found a better version of him in Frank Kaminsky.
The Charlotte Hornets want to make the playoffs again (they reached the postseason in 2013-14) but last season saw them get derailed.
Now the NBA trade rumors see them making moves to upgrade their roster, which at present, looks flawed.
Last season's big acquisition, Lance Stephenson, turned out to be a dud, and they have shipped him to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes, a center/forward with a touch from the outside.
This acquisition, along with the drafting of Frank Kaminsky in the 2015 NBA Draft-yet another center-forward, creates a logjam at the position. This led to trade rumors that someone is bound to go.
The prediction is that Cody Zeller, the 4th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, is on the trading block. Zeller was reportedly being shopped even before the draft, according to the Boston Globe, "they tried to move (Cody Zeller) but found no takers" and instead, traded the younger Noah Vonleh from the 2014 NBA Draft for Nicolas Batum.
In contrast, the Hornets were high on Frank Kaminsky right from the beginning. The former Wisconsin Badger who made it all the way to the NCAA Finals was taken with the 9th overall pick.
Grantland's Zach Lowe revealed some interesting tidbits about the Hornets' on draft night. They packaged that 9th pick and Vonleh to teams ahead of them in hopes of getting a star, but they were refused.
The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, offered a huge package for the 9th overall pick: the Celtics own 16th overall, the Hawks 15th overall (which Boston already dealt for) an unprotected future pick from Brooklyn (which could be a huge asset) and another future first round from Boston's treasure chest. The Celtics had their eye on Duke's Justise Winslow.
However, the Hornets refused all these since they did not want to lose Kaminsky. It seems like they foresee him as a building block-but the Hornets have already traded their lottery picks in 2011 and 2014 and are now looking to unload their 2013 pick. Are they giving up too easily?
