How The Charlotte Hornets Pulled Off A Monster Heist

At the end of last month, the Charlotte Hornets traded for Collin Sexton in a deal that went largely under the radar, given how chaotic that time of year is. But now that the whirlwind has settled, we, as a basketball community, need to take a moment to acknowledge the Hornets for a job well done.

Collin Sexton Is One Of The Most Underrated Offensive Players In The NBA

Straddled on a team that has spent most of the last three seasons intentionally trying to lose games, Sexton’s play has gone largely under the radar.

Sexton can score fast and efficiently. Over the last three years, he’s been in the 85th percentile or higher in scoring volume in each season, peaking in the 95th percentile last year (per Dunks & Threes). His true shooting has been near/over 60% during that time as well (for reference, a 60% TS usually puts you in the top quadrant of the league these days).

Sexton’s scoring profile is also a versatile one. In 2023-24, he was one of just six point guards/combo guards to shoot at least 68% from the rim, 42% from the midrange, and 40% from three (per Cleaning the Glass).

Sexton’s scoring prowess forces defenses to respect him. His drives regularly attract the attention of multiple defenders, leading to open looks for his teammates. Sexton was in the 86th percentile last season in Box Creation (an estimate of shots created for teammates per 100 possessions, per Thinking Basketball).

Sexton’s blend of scoring and playmaking makes him one of the better offensive players in the league (86th percentile in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus). His frenetic nature will pair well in the backcourt alongside the team’s franchise floor general, LaMelo Ball. And when Ball is resting, Sexton should be able to handle temporary stints as the team’s offensive centerpiece.

The Charlotte Hornets Got Sexton For Nothing

You would think a player with Sexton’s statistical footprint would at least command a single first round pick (particularly after the haul the Memphis Grizzlies got for Desmond Bane). But alas, all this transaction cost the Hornets is Jusuf Nurkic, who, at this point in his career, is considered little more than salary filler to most teams. Speaking of salary, the Hornets actually saved 1.7 million dollars in this trade, since Sexton (17.7 million in 2025-26) earns that amount less than Nurkic (19.4 million).

Oh, and not only did the Hornets not part with any draft capital in this transaction, the Utah Jazz gave them a second round pick (in 2030) along with Sexton!

Now, to be fair to the Jazz, they were probably trying to do right by Sexton and get him to a team that will prioritize playing him so they can focus on developing their cavalcade of young players (although, I don’t understand why a pick needed to be attached). But still, the fact that Charlotte got a player of Sexton’s caliber for so little is nothing short of genius, and it demonstrates an interesting phenomenon taking place in the NBA right now.

The Fair Market Value Of Combo Guards Is Falling

In a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon discussed the devaluing of combo guards (the player archetype Sexton is classified under) that is currently happening in the NBA.

“This is just another example of the NBA continuing to devalue these score-only guards. You can be as efficient as Norman Powell…You can be a ridiculous high-level scorer, who creates rim pressure and hits shots off the catch, and teams just don’t see a ton of value in it,” Vecenie said in response to the Powell trade.

Of course, Powell was just recently traded to the Miami Heat, and, like Charlotte, all they had to give up in the deal was some matching salary (Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love). Jordan Poole and CJ McCollum were practically dumped for each other shortly before that. Anfernee Simons was traded for an aging Jrue Holiday before that. The list goes on and on.

Since the league now has a ton of these players, the demand for them isn’t super high. So, the teams that roster them are forced to trade them off for pennies on the dollar (could a Malik Monk trade be coming soon?).

Smart teams with balanced books can exploit this new feature in the market and pounce on a good player when the opportunity presents itself. And that is exactly what the Hornets did so wonderfully with Sexton in this deal.