The Charlotte Hornets got much-needed point guard depth on Tuesday in their quest for an Eastern Conference playoff spot by acquiring veteran Mo Williams from Minnesota in exchange for shooting guard Gary Neal and a 2019 2nd round pick.
Charlotte can now start Williams at the point with Kemba Walker still out after undergoing knee surgery, and avoid using the much-maligned Lance Stephenson at the position.
“Mo Williams is a proven NBA player who gives us additional versatility and depth in the backcourt, both while Kemba Walker is out and after Kemba returns,” said Hornets general manager Rich Cho in a statement.
Walker was having a career year in 42 games with Charlotte before getting hurt, with career highs in points, PER, offensive and defensive rating and win shares per 48 minutes.
Charlotte really exhausted all their internal options in trying to tread water with Walker out, and none of them worked. The Hornets are minus-6.8 points per 48 minutes with Stephenson on the floor, minus-3.9 with the departed Neal on the floor and minus-1.4 with backup Brian Roberts on the floor, according to NBA.com. So while Williams hasn’t been the greatest for Minnesota this season, he’s better than what they were trotting out there.
The 32-year-old Williams averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 assists per game for the Timberwolves in 41 games, including 19 starts, this season but his field goal and 3-point field goal percentages were at their lowest levels since the 2010-2011 season. Minnesota’s net rating, the differential between offensive and defensive ratings, while Williams was on the floor this season was minus-12 points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball-Reference and his win shares per 48 minutes are at its lowest levels since 2010-2011.
Williams’ defensive shortcomings this season may not matter for a Charlotte team currently ranked 29th in the league with an anemic 100.5 offensive rating. They need whatever scoring boost they can get with Walker sidelined. The Hornets have split their first four February games while scoring just 92.3 points per game while shooting just under 42.8 percent from the field.
Another thing the Williams acquisition does for Charlotte is lessen their need for Stephenson, someone who the team would quite clearly love to get rid of. Perhaps Cho once again ramps up his efforts to deal Stephenson, who’s been a disappointment after signing a three-year, $27 million contract over the summer.
Minnesota attains greater future flexibility in trading Daniels, whose $947,000 contract is fully guaranteed for next season, and could buy out Neal, who’s on the last year of his deal. The Hawks already made a move with Minnesota on Tuesday, sending 2014 1st round pick Adreian Payne to Minnesota for a lottery-protected 1st rounder in 2017. With that free roster spot, Atlanta was already rumored to be interested in Neal, who played under Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer while he was an assistant with San Antonio.
Charlotte is tied with Miami for the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of 9th place Brooklyn.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and features. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. You should follow him on Twitter.