Charlotte Hornets: Pairing up Kemba Walker and Mike Conley?

Could the Charlotte Hornets add Mike Conley to the backcourt to help work out a deal to keep Kemba Walker in the Queen City?

The Charlotte Hornets have a lot to do this summer, and one of their objectives is to re-sign their star player, Kemba Walker. The Hornets have a lot to do before they can get him to re-sign, but they know that getting Walker some help may help in getting him to stay.

There are many moves that the Hornets can make to get Walker some help, but it’s a matter of finding them. On Thursday, Bleacher Report came up with a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that could help get Walker to stay.

Here is the Bleacher Report trade:

This trade helps solve some of the issues for Charlotte, but it does have them giving away young and future talent. This trade does work for each team salary wise, as the Hornets would be giving away two players, whose salaries add up to Mike Conley’s.

This trade is worth it when it comes to true talent, and the Hornets would instantly have a deadly backcourt upon making this trade. Both Walker and Conley also shoot exceptional from beyond the arc.

Bleacher Report also went on to state this about the trade:

"The Hornets fly into the tax with this trade after baking in Walker’s next contract. They’ll have little to no hope of ducking it over the course of the season if they also re-sign Jeremy Lamb"

A lot of financial issues can be solved down the road if the Charlotte Hornets are able to have Walker and Conley, and this trade offers Walker veteran support in the starting lineup. Conley is no joke, he averaged a clean 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game last season.

Conley is also an elite defender who could help Charlotte tremendously with their perimeter season. For his entire career, Conley has averaged 1.5 steals per game for the Grizzlies.

To add to the trade, CJ Miles would also be a great addition to the team, as he is a decent scorer who would provide Charlotte with some perimeter shooting from the wing. Miles would also be a nice bench presence with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gone.

This trade is all about getting players who can make a difference on the team. Bismack Biyombo is currently making $17 million next season, and he only averaged 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season.

Conley’s contract has him making $30 million over the next two seasons, while Miles’ contract has him only making $ 8.3 million next season. These contracts are not the best, but the Hornets would be getting rid of contracts who do not make a huge contribution.

If Charlotte makes this trade, I think they will easily make the post-season next season. Conley’s ball-handling skills, defense, and perimeter shooting would be deadly next to Walker.

My only concern is the draft picks that we are giving away. The Charlotte Hornets are set to make a selection in the NBA Draft in July, and I just feel like there is a lot of talent in this year’s draft. The Hornets cannot just freely give up draft picks unless it’s undoubtedly necessary.

The offseason will be interesting this year, as this is Mitch Kupchak’s second offseason with the team. It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Kupchak wants to make to help keep Walker.