Charlotte Hornets Acquire Montrezl Harrell

The official NBA Trade Deadline is just 30 minutes away as of writing, and teams are feverishly working the phones in an attempt to improve their team's fortunes.  The Charlotte Hornets are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference, but minutes ago they made a trade to improve their chances of moving beyond a Play-In Tournament spot when they acquired center Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards:

Charlotte is acquiring Washington center Montrezl Harrell for Vernon Carey and Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022

Harrell was the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and he remains one of the most prolific low post scorers in the league.  The undersized center is averaging 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting an ultra-efficient 64.5% from the field, and he will likely become a common target of second-year All-Star guard LaMelo Ball.  

In return, the Washington Wizards receive Vernon Casey and Ish Smith from the Hornets.  Smith is a journeyman point guard who has played for 11 different teams and may be bought out while Vernon Carey Jr. was the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and has only played limited minutes during his first two seasons in Charlotte.

Photo Credit: © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports