Hornets Interested in Lakers' Shannon Brown, Wizards' Nick Young

by Rohan on Dec 4, 2011 11:48 PM CST in News

The New Orleans Hornets are interested in pursuing Los Angeles Laker swingman Shannon Brown and Washington Wizard guard Nick Young, Jimmy Smith reported yesterday for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Young is a restricted free agent, meaning the Wizards have the right to match any offer from another team that Young agrees to. It's tough to put a price on free agents, especially in this post-CBA and pre-shortened season free agency season, but keep in mind that Young is a player that can create his own shot, scored over 17 points per game last year for the Wizards, and is ostensibly entering the prime of his career. Even if you believe that his point/game overvalues him, it is a statistic GMs haven't hesitated to pay for throughout the past decade. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see a team with cap space offer him an annual salary starting above the mid-level mark (which is likely the most money the Hornets can offer him).

The Times-Pic reports that Shannon Brown's rights are owned by the Lakers. However, this isn't true. Brown terminated the final year of his contract on July 1st, 2011, making him an unrestricted free agent. This means that if Brown comes to terms with another team, the Lakers don't have the opportunity to match the deal and retain him like the Wizards do with Brown.

Brown is the same age as Young, less of a scoring threat, but almost certainly the better defender.

The Hornets cap situation is as follows - if they bring David West or Carl Landry back, the most they can offer either Brown or Young is the midlevel exception (expected to be $5M/year). The team currently stands $13M below the cap. Re-signing West or Landry will definitely add around $10M to that figure, leaving around a $3M deficit. Let's say the team re-signs David West for example. They would then be allowed to exceed the cap only through using one of the exceptions (midlevel, or veteran's minimum) or by re-signing one of their own Birds-right players (ie, Landry).

So keeping the cap situation in mind, who do you think would be more worthy of a midlevel exception offer from the Hornets, Young or Brown? Neither is both a perfectly acceptable answer here and probably mine.

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Comments

Shannon Brown is not quite a PG or SG

So I’d have to pick Nick Young

by njennings on Dec 5, 2011 12:25 AM CST reply actions

Agreed

Though neither option really excites me.

by hldomingue on Dec 5, 2011 9:32 AM CST up reply actions

Hornets are 1 of 5 teams

with significant interest in Marcus Thornton too. Per Thornton’s agent.

by njennings on Dec 5, 2011 12:35 AM CST reply actions

If I was marcus

No way would I want to have monty as a coach again

by RedHopeful on Dec 5, 2011 1:34 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

I doubt that Monty wants Thornton back again

by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Dec 5, 2011 2:05 PM CST up reply actions

Nick Young

If I absolutely had to choose, i’ds choose Young. Gamble on his potential upside.

Brown is a solid player and very athletic and experienced. He’s a better scorer than people realize. But Nick Young can put up 30 or even 40 pts in a game (occasionally).

by MZURK on Dec 5, 2011 2:57 AM CST reply actions

From a Laker fan, I'd take Young.

Better shooter, higher ceiling, offers some spark for your second unit. Brown pounds the ball needlessly on offense, takes an inordinate amount of long twos, doesn’t have the ballhandling skill to be an effective slasher and take advantage of his hops, and has a comic inability to recognize whether he should go over or under screens. If he strokes the ball from behind the arc as well as he did for the first month of last season, then he’s a solid player, but if not, he doesn’t offer a whole lot of utility beyond replacement minutes.

@brosales12

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu

by Ben R on Dec 5, 2011 3:45 AM CST reply actions

If I HAD to pick between Brown and Young??? I'd do this...

$9 million/yr X 4 years: Carl Landry
$4 million/yr X 3 years: Shannon Brown

Only problem w/ the situation is this: Young will be too expensive and the Wizards will match a good value offer… but if we go with Shannon Brown then who on the team (besides CP3) can space the floor for Paul with 3-point shooting?

by ap3604 on Dec 5, 2011 5:02 AM CST reply actions

Agree

"I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." Groucho Marx

by BenDerDonDat on Dec 5, 2011 7:30 AM CST up reply actions

Bring Back Thornton And Chandler!

Ahhhh, dreams. Out of the two, I think I’d rather have Young but I remember the Hornets having interest in Shannon Brown last year as well. His game’s regressed over the last two years from what I’ve observed on the outside looking in, though, and I think Nick’s more of a scorer which is probably what New Orleans needs.

"You play to win the game."

by MrWayneKeller on Dec 5, 2011 10:20 AM CST reply actions

+1

HornetsHype.com

by m-W on Dec 5, 2011 5:25 PM CST up reply actions

Surprised

No one has said a definite neither. I really don’t trust either guy. Brown isn’t starting material while Young is one of the most inefficient scorers in the league. Please don’t let his PPG fool you, someone has to score for NBA teams per night to hit 90. Just scary to me we are linked to names like this but sat Thornton eternally. Can someone tell whether Demps doesn’t understand Monty will sit a knucklehead scorer for breathing wrong on defense? Or has Monty done a 180, and now, understands we need offense on the floor at all times?

by RedHopeful on Dec 5, 2011 10:31 AM CST reply actions