Josh McRoberts is headed to the Heat, leaving the Hornets without their starting power forward.
I’m bullish on No. 9 pick Noah Vonleh, and Cody Zeller is growing on me. But Zeller is entering just his second season, and Vonleh will be a rookie.
Charlotte, after a surprising playoff berth last season, wants to win now. Relying on such young players could subvert those efforts.
Enter Marvin Williams.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:the Charlotte Hornets are pursuing free agent Marvin Williams to take over the power forward slot, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Hornets and Williams have discussed parameters of a deal, but no agreement is imminent, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Hornets have more than enough cap room to sign Williams. There should be other concerns,though.
Williams could be the perimeter-oriented power forward who, like McRoberts did, fits best next to Al Jefferson. However – though Williams matches McRoberts’ 3-point shooting – his passing falls well short of the man he might replace. If the Hornets sign Williams, they should expect to take a step back from McRoberts.
The other key consideration is whether Williams would interfere with Charlotte’s ability to grow long-term – by taking too many minutes from Vonleh and Zeller and/or eating into too much future cap space. In this market – especially with Utah interested in re-signing him – Williams can probably draw a sizable, multi-year offer.
He played collegiately at North Carolina, where Hornets owner Michael Jordan also played. Charlotte should be wary of making an impulse buy here.
But if Williams’ contract isn’t too large and Steve Clifford can still find minutes for Vonleh and Zeller, perhaps playing Williams some at small forward, sure, go for it. Williams could be an alright fit who makes the Hornets a little better now.