RIDNOUR MOVED--AGAIN--TO OKC, FOR LAMB
The Charlotte Hornets acquired guard-forward Jeremy Lamb from the Oklahoma City Thunder for point guard Luke Ridnour and a conditional 2nd-round draft pick in 2016.
What does it give the Charlotte Hornets
The NBA off-season hasn't fully kicked off, but the Hornets have already mostly overhauled. Bringing in Lamb is a nice, low-risk move for a young team in need of wing scoring. Lamb joins fellow recent additions Nicolas Batum and Spencer Hawes in a new-look Charlotte lineup, and like those two he should see a boost in opportunities. The Hornets have moved out talents in Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson, but so far overall their mini-rebuild looks like a success.
What does it give the Oklahoma City Thunder
For the Thunder this deal is about dropping salary. Ridnour's contract is non-guaranteed, so the Thunder can waive him. As a cost-conscious team with a lot of depth already, OKC essentially just opens up more cash here to sign draft picks and re-sign free agents. The Thunder already has Dion Waiters at shooting guard, so Lamb became expendable. That said, Lamb was a key asset in the trade of James Harden to Houston so this has to hurt a little for Oklahoma City fans. The second-round pick is a minor bonus.
Fantasy impact
Lamb showed flashes of production last season with OKC, and at 23 is still very young for an NBA player. He could bust out in 2015-16 as either a starter or sixth/seventh man for Charlotte; he still has excellent all-round potential. That said, the Hornets still need to find minutes for Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the wing, so a starting gig for Lamb doesn't seem like a slam dunk. On the Thunder it's probably unclear how this deal affects the roster (since it's early in the off-season) but on paper it likely gives more fantasy appeal to Dion Waiters (and probably Perry Jones).
