The Charlotte Hornets are bringing in a former top-10 pick in a trade with the Utah Jazz.
The Hornets agreed to acquire guard Collin Sexton and a 2031 second-round pick for center Jusuf Nurkic.
For the Hornets, this represents a chance to get out from under the last year of Nurkic’s contract, which carries a cap hit just shy of $20 million. The veteran center joined Charlotte in a trade from Phoenix last year after he fell out of the Suns’ rotation, and figures to be a depth piece for Utah as long as they keep him.
Sexton has developed into a rather one-dimensional scorer, but he can certainly put up points. He averaged 18.4 points per game while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range for Utah last season, and should provide a scoring boost to the Charlotte backcourt. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges were the primary options for the Hornets last season, but their depth became an issue after that, which Sexton should help address.
The Jazz saw Sexton as expendable after drafting Ace Bailey, who should now have a lot of touches in the Utah backcourt. That would seem to suit the rookie, who is believed to want a major role immediately.
