Favorite Giannis trades + Are the Hornets for real?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — Favorite Giannis Trades + Are the Hornets for Real?

Date: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Esperahenney ("S"), guest Brian Geisinger

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on two main NBA stories:

1. The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade watch, with Dave and S throwing out and dissecting hypothetical trades involving several teams and discussing what makes sense for the Bucks and possible suitors.
2. The Charlotte Hornets' surprising hot streak, as Brian Geisinger joins to analyze their seven-game win streak, the development of their young core, and consider whether the playoff hype is real.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. All Eyes on Giannis: Trade Scenarios and Speculation

[02:04–13:44]

• Giannis on the Trade Block: The entire NBA world is on "Giannis watch," waiting to see if/when the Bucks pull the trigger on a deal. The panel emphasizes the sense of anticipation and teams’ reluctance to make big moves until Giannis’s situation is resolved.
• Bucks’ Leverage and Patience:
  • The Bucks aren’t pressured to trade Giannis at the deadline; they may wait for a better offers in the summer.
  • “From the Bucks’ perspective, you want to get everything you’re asking for. If you don’t get what you’re asking for…they’re not going to get Giannis at this point.”—Esperahenney [03:39]
• Trade Proposals—Who Says No?
  • Multiple hypothetical trades are thrown out, with the hosts weighing which teams would actually pull the trigger.

Notable Trade Scenarios

• Three-team deal (Giannis to Minnesota):

  • Minnesota gets Giannis & Jrue Holiday;
    Bucks get Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Scoot Henderson, picks;
    Blazers get Jaden McDaniels, Nas Reid.
  • "It's tough for me to wrap my head around the Wolves sending out Jaden McDaniels at all. Like, he feels like such a... the Pippen to Ant’s Jordan."—Dave [07:00]
  • Ultimately, panel thinks Portland says no.

• Sixers Deal:

  • Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and every pick for Giannis.
  • “That’s tough, man…VJ is a star…that sort of team control and flexibility…is extremely valuable”—Dave [08:43]
  • Consensus: Sixers say no.

• Magic Package:

  • Paolo Banchero and all Magic’s picks for Giannis:
    • Both say, yes, they would do it. [09:57–10:08]

• Miami Heat:

  • Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Khalil Ware + picks.
  • Panel: Not enough, Milwaukee probably says no.
  • “I would rather wait until the summer where one of San Antonio, OKC, Houston or someone else is going to flame out and now you have more buyers at the table.” —Esperahenney [11:26]

• Golden State Warriors:

  • Kuminga, Draymond, Pajemski, all picks.
  • Not compelling enough; summer may bring higher offers.

Will a Trade Happen?

• “Realistically, I actually don’t think a trade happens. I think the Bucks hold on and they wait until San Antonio or Houston or someone else with much better assets…in the summer, decide they want to cave and do it.” —Esperahenney [13:27]
• The hosts tease their upcoming live trade deadline coverage (YouTube).

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2. Charlotte Hornets—Are They for Real?

[16:33–30:07]

Charlotte’s Hot Streak & Best Week in Decades

• Hornets come back from 22 points to win their seventh straight, now at 23–28.
• “Is this the best week in Charlotte Hornets history?” —Dave [16:33]
  • “It’s the best week at least in multiple decades—since anyone on the team was alive.”—Brian Geisinger [17:00]
  • Last time Hornets had an 8-game streak: 1999

Brandon Miller’s Emergence

• Miller named Eastern Conference Player of the Week; his health and versatile wing play are key.
  • “The fact that he is this big, jumbo wing that can do a little bit of everything…ties together their lineups incredibly well.”—Esperahenney [18:11]
  • “His ability to be the engine for the offense has really stood out…to have he and Khan, two guys with size who can shoot off movement, plus can playmake off movement too, really gives them a dimension offensively that is pretty tricky to deal with.”—Brian [19:04]

LaMelo Ball’s Growth

• Playing his most disciplined, patient basketball yet.
  • “He had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, only two turnovers…His patience and willingness to not settle for that long step back and to attack the basketball—they look like a different team when he’s playing like this.”—Dave [20:40]
  • “His decision making and just like pace in that game [vs. San Antonio] was so, so, so good…and having Miller healthy, having Khan in the fold, has allowed them to not have to play heliocentric ball with him anymore.” —Brian [21:18–22:49]

The Starting Lineup That’s Dominating

• The crew highlights the new starting five:
  • Musa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, Con Knippel, LaMelo Ball.
  • Outscoring opponents by 30 net rating; offensive rating of 140 (both #1 in NBA) [23:27]
  • “That starting lineup is absolutely whooping teams right now.”—Esperahenney [23:27]

Secret Sauce: Passing, Defense, and Motor

• “With the main three of LaMelo, Khan and Miller, there’s just a lot of shooting, ball handling, and passing talent in that group…and it’s a lot to deal with.”—Brian [24:11]
• Defensive improvement credited to scheme, low fouling, and Musa Diabate’s motor and rebounding.
  • “He gives you all of that plus the motor…to be an effective big in the NBA now, if you’re not an elite offensive creator/three-point shooter, it’s motor.”—Dave [26:36]

Are the Hornets Buyers or Sellers?

• Likely to make a small move at the trade deadline.
  • “Jeff Peterson…has done at least something at every deadline since he took over…I don’t see them being buyers, I would advocate for them not to do that unless it was something small, but I think there’s a very good chance they’re active later this week.” —Brian [28:48]
• No, they’re not trading for Giannis…but Brian jokes he’d fit anywhere.

The Future is Bright

• The Hornets are drawing comparisons to the early-2010s Thunder as an exciting, young core.
  • “Seems like a good time to get in on the ground floor with the Hornets. Maybe kind of like the Oklahoma City Thunder 2010ish…they’re going to be the hot team for the next 3 or 4 years.” —Dave [30:19]

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Notable Quotes

• “The league is a little bit on pause…The Giannis move—it’s whether or not you’re keeping your powder dry for the summer for some teams.” —Dave DeFore [02:59]
• “Does Jaden McDaniels and Nas Reed, does that make you…I don’t know, playoff team. Playoff team. But is that enough to give up those picks? …I think Portland says no.” —Dave DeFore [08:02]
• “My favorite season of LaMelo probably before this year was his rookie season…just having more shooting, playmaking, passing, high feel players around him has really helped his development this season.”—Brian Geisinger [23:01]
• “He’s like young Jarrett Allen, but…he can do the handoffs and screen, roll and slip. He can fake a handoff and keep it and get downhill.”—Brian Geisinger on Musa Diabate [28:01]
• “Go check out Brian…They cover the Hornets. Seems like a good time to get in…” —Dave [30:19]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:04–13:44 | Giannis trade watch: hypothetical deals, who says no, trade timing | | 16:33–18:38 | Hornets hot streak, historical context, Brandon Miller’s breakout | | 18:38–21:18 | In-depth: Brandon Miller, offensive fit, lineup synergy | | 21:18–23:27 | LaMelo Ball’s maturity and new offensive approach | | 23:27–26:13 | Starting lineup dominance, offensive and defensive progression | | 26:13–28:32 | Musa Diabate’s emergence; team defense and rebounding | | 28:32–30:07 | Hornets’ trade deadline outlook, youth movement, future prospects |

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Summary

This episode skillfully weaves together high-stakes NBA trade speculation—centered on a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster—with grounded, detailed analysis of the surging Charlotte Hornets. The hosts deliver both entertaining “who hangs up first?” trade banter and deep-dive breakdowns of player development, team fit, and organizational strategy. Listeners get a comprehensive pulse-check on the league’s trade climate and a convincing case that the Hornets might be on the verge of their best era in decades.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for February 3, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperahenney. Coming up we're going to talk some Giannis trades and who says no to some of the purported deals. And our buddy Brian Geisinger is here to talk about the Hornets win over the Pelicans, their latest winning streak and and whether or not this team is going to make the playoffs next year. Good morning everybody. What's up S? How's it going?

[Esperahenney]

Good morning. Yeah man, look we are in Giannis watch. You know everybody is just locked in on this Giannis thing until Thursday where he will get traded while we are in Chicago.

[Dave DeFore]

That's Right. We're speaking it into existence.

[Esperahenney]

Speaking it into existence.

[Dave DeFore]

The trade a thon. The NBA Daily Live Stream. Catch us on YouTube, of course, we'll put out a recap episode. We got John Hollinger for that.

[Esperahenney]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

And yeah, S. We're all on Giannis. Watch it. It feels like the league is a little bit on pause. Right. Like, Keon Ellis trade happens, which that's what we're calling it. The Keon Ellis trade happens. But this is like, that's a small domino. And a lot of that was bookkeeping for Cleveland. Like, we talked about this on the show yesterday, but the Giannis move, it's whether or not you're keeping your powder dry for the summer for some teams. You know, I think about the warriors with this. Right. If the Bucks aren't moving Giannis at the deadline, what's their backup plan?

[Esperahenney]

And look, from. From the Bucks perspective, yeah, I agree with you. But from the Bucks perspective, this is like, we don't have to trade them right now.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Esperahenney]

You can wait until the summer. And so from Milwaukee's perspective, you want to get everything you're asking for. If you don't get what you're asking for, if there's a team out there that is short selling or short changing their offer, they're not going to get Giannis at this point. It's just not possible. He's going to be the max offer for whatever they get.

[Dave DeFore]

Right. It does look as if, I mean, the Knicks may not be as aggressive as go going after him at the deadline, you know, and I think that that makes some sense. If you think about our conversation that we had with Eric n Last week, he talked about how waiting till the summer for the Bucks might make a lot more sense because the Knicks could get some more assets. Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

And the Knicks, they've won six games in a row. Like, sure. The way narratives work now. Right.

[Dave DeFore]

But Mikhail Bridges and Carl Anthony Town's trade value is probably lower than it was, you know, at the start of the season, I would say.

[Esperahenney]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

And maybe it's rehabilitated by the summer. Right. Like, so maybe these guys have more value then.

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But.

[Dave DeFore]

But the other thing is just being able to tie in the draft assets that I think are going to be important for the Bucks. That's going to be more difficult to do right now. You know, Eric, again, go back to our episode. If you guys are really into the Yana stuff or, you know, not completely tired of it yet, go back and listen to that. Because I thought it was. It was super informative. I've been thinking about some of the stuff he said a lot, and especially, like, the team, like the Minnesota Timberwolves. Right. We're here for you.

[Esperahenney]

If you want it. Let's do it.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, let's go. Because I was going to say the. For me, the Timberwolves, they've got an opportunity here where their best offer actually could wind up bringing in some outside, you know, draft capital. Right. Like, they've got guys, other teams, I think, and contenders even may want, but other teams may want some of these players. And I. I just think if you're the Bucks and you're looking to reset the table. Yeah, Timberwolves kind of. They've got the right kind of contracts.

[Esperahenney]

And from the Wolves side of things, you know that you have an opportunity to win a title this year if you get Anthony Edwards and Giannis Antonokounmpo playoff run. I think that's the ultimate sell for Minnesota is there is such a high ceiling that can be reached just by having Giannis and Ants on your team. And this was sort of the conversation when. When the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard. Right. Like, regardless of how much they spent to go out and get Dame, there's an opportunity for them to get to higher heights. And ultimately that didn't work out. But Anthony Edwards is much younger than Damian Lillard was. Giannis can come in and be sort of that second fiddle, if you will, to what Ant provides. All right, I'll give you the trade. Who says no? Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

By the way, Giannis being second fiddle, I mean, I know, look, he's an mvp.

[Esperahenney]

He will play like an mvp, but ultimately, I think the duo, then it would. It would require some sacrifice, naturally. Okay. Three team trade. Who says no? Dave? All right. Milwaukee Bucks, they send out Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Drew Holiday from the Portland Trailblazers also goes to the Timberwolves. In return, the Bucks acquire Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Scoot Henderson, a bunch of pick swaps from the Timberwolves, and one of their picks back from the Portland Trailblazers. Now, you might be wondering, what do the Blazers get for this part of business? They get Jada McDaniels and Nasri.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, man, that's tough.

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[Dave DeFore]

It's tough for me to wrap my head around the Wolves sending out Jaden McDaniels at all. Like, he feels like such a.

[Esperahenney]

So you're saying. You're saying no from the Wolves perspective.

[Dave DeFore]

Doesn't he Feel like the pippin to, to ants. Jordan, you know, when you're just thinking about team construction, I mean, with the way he plays defense, we know he can score. Man, that's hard. I mean, I don't know, you get Drew Holiday, you get Giannis, you get a title. Especially if you got Gobert. That's maybe one of the best defenses ever.

[Esperahenney]

Sure.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I agree.

[Esperahenney]

Look, and, and you still have Dante DiVincenzo. You know, they do get some depth here because expiring salary has to go to Minnesota. Gary Trent Jr. And Gary Harris have to go in there. But like, this would be a big time win for Minnesota. Now, I think the gripe would be, would Portland be willing to do that?

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Esperahenney]

Because those Milwaukee picks, as soon as Giannis walks out the door, will be very, very valuable. So why would you even decide to trade those picks for? Unless you love Jaden McDaniel.

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Does Jaden Mcdaniels and Nas Reed, does that make you, I don't know, playoff team? Playoff team. But is that enough to give up those picks? Oh, man, I don't know. I, I, you know what? I think Portland says no.

[Esperahenney]

Okay. Yeah, I, I agree. I think Portland would say no.

[Dave DeFore]

Minnesota, they're doing backflips. Tim Connolly, like, this guy has been super aggressive already. I think that they would do backflips over a deal that got them. I mean, if they got Giannis and. Oh, yeah, we're going to throw in Drew Holiday, too. Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

Can I throw out another team?

[Dave DeFore]

Certainly.

[Esperahenney]

Philadelphia 76ers. They sell Paul George, VJ Edgecomb and every single pick available to them for Giannis and Tina Kumpo, who says no.

[Dave DeFore]

That's tough, man. You know, our guy Tony Jones tells us that VJ Is a star. He looks like one.

[Brian Geisinger]

He does.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. And he's again, star, but he's on a rookie contract for the next few seasons. Right. I, I just feel like that sort of team control and flexibility over someone that we're, we're just saying he's a star. Right. I think that's extremely valuable. And would you even need to add picks if you were giving up someone like that? I, you know. Yeah, I don't know. Can you trade a suspended player? I haven't looked at the TVA on that.

[Esperahenney]

I don't know about that.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, I mean, it's something I guess we could look up, but I think, I think the Sixers say no.

[Esperahenney]

I think the Six. Is that crazy?

[Dave DeFore]

Okay.

[Esperahenney]

All right.

[Dave DeFore]

Just making sure.

[Esperahenney]

Because, because like you, it's always the unknown thing. Right. You think BJ Edgecomb at this point is going to be a superstar? And does he pan out and become a superstar? Who knows? Will he ever be as good as Giannis and antonokounmpo?

[Dave DeFore]

The mystery box.

[Esperahenney]

But it is a chance.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it's a mystery box.

[Esperahenney]

Okay. I don't know exactly what the trade would be here, but would you trade Paolo Bankero and all of the available assets for the Orlando Magic to Giannis?

[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely. Yes. Take away my argument that I just made about VJ Edgecombe. I would make. I would make that move for Paulo. Yeah, I would. I would do that one.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, I think I would do that, too. Yeah, I think I would ultimately do that.

[Dave DeFore]

How does he get to the Miami Heat? Because, I mean, and we haven't talked about the warriors part of this yet either. The teams that seem like they're really in it. If we're, if we're going to believe the reports that the Knicks aren't in it and this is at the deadline, not. Not this summer. That's a different conversation. But it's Miami, it's Golden State and it's Minnesota. So how does Miami pull it off?

[Esperahenney]

Miami, it's Tyler Hero. Terry Rozier's contract as well, by the way.

[Dave DeFore]

We found out yesterday because he won his arbitration. Yes, that is going to be guaranteed. He's going to be paid for that this season. So the Miami Heat are on the hook. And you know, we're going to talk Hornets after the break, but if I'm the Heat man, I. I'm just, I'm saying. Sending a lot of angry emails.

[Esperahenney]

Oh, yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

To the Hornets.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, that's an absurd trade to look back on. But anyways, it would be Khalil Ware, Tyler Herro, Terry Rosier, probably a couple more of their prospects, whether it's Nikola Jovic or Powell Larson or someone like that. Maybe Yakos.

[Dave DeFore]

It's got to be Yakos. Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

I need a bunch of picks and then all picks available to them. Unfortunately, Miami doesn't like, again, because of the Rosier deal. They don't have all of their picks available to them. But that's the deal. Yeah, the Warriors, I think Milwaukee says no there.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. I'm not crazy to say that.

[Esperahenney]

Like I would rather wait until the summer where one of San Antonio, okc, Houston or someone else is going to flame out and now you have more buyers at the table. Even New York, as we've mentioned.

[Adam Grant / ServiceNow Advertiser]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

I think, I think the Knicks are the big one. It's just can they get enough stuff to make it worthwhile to wait? The warriors is going to be Kuminga.

[Esperahenney]

And Draymond and Brandon Pajimski, and every single.

[Dave DeFore]

Does it feel like the Draymond stuff is like. We're kind of nearing the end of the road here.

[Esperahenney]

I mean, for Giannis, you don't even hesitate for that, right? You're. You're extending the. The. The warriors window. You're extending a title run opportunity with Steph Curry, and as we've talked about before with Xena and with Marcus, like any opportunity you have to give Steph Curry another chance, you go out and do it, no questions asked. It's just gotten to that point with the Warriors.

[Dave DeFore]

Let me ask you this. If they make this trade this year, okay?

[Esperahenney]

No.

[Dave DeFore]

What kind of chance you give them? No chance, right?

[Esperahenney]

No chance with.

[Dave DeFore]

With two top seven players. If they could, let's say they make it out of the play, they clear the play in, right? Like, they get out of the play in.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, man, I. I love Steph, and I think him and Giannis would be particularly incredible to watch. But is a combination of, like, who's your starting lineup? Moses Moody, Buddy Healed and Al Horford?

[Dave DeFore]

Well, it depends. It depends on if you can keep Buddy Heel like you. You know what I mean? Like, you may have to ride some of these other guys. I don't. I don't know. I don't. I don't know if it does it this year. And I wonder how much that plays into it. If Jimmy's not hurt.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, if Jimmy wasn't hurt, that equation changes to me, because now you have Steph and Jimmy and Giannis, and that might end up being a different conversation, but. Yeah, I don't know. Those warriors picks are pretty interesting into the future, right? That's the main sell here. If you're Milwaukee, it's getting all of those picks post Steph Post, even Giannis, Right?

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Do you think a trade happens? How you feeling about it?

[Esperahenney]

I think a trade, you know, for our sake, I hope a trade happens. Realistically, I actually don't think a trade happens. I think the Bucks hold on and they wait until San Antonio or Houston or someone else with much better assets. The Knicks in the summer decide they want to cave and do it.

[Dave DeFore]

As long as they hold on till at least Thursday, I'm good. During the trade deadline. While we're live on our YouTube channel, everybody come and hang out with us. Promoting that again, Guys, stick around after the break. Brian Geisinger is here to talk about the Hornets Lamelo Ball. Brandon Miller was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week.

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[Dave DeFore]

S thanks to a 22 point comeback by the Charlotte Hornets and their seventh straight win. The NBA Daily Curse was averted. Our guy Brian Geisinger is here to talk about the Hornets, who are now 23 and 28 on the season. They've won seven straight games. Brandon Miller was named Eastern Conference player of the week. Bryant, is this the best week in Charlotte Hornets history?

[Brian Geisinger]

It's the best week at least in multiple decades of since anyone on the team was alive. No, I.

[Esperahenney]

Since Al Jefferson, like, I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

It's been a while, man.

[Brian Geisinger]

I think so. I mean they haven't made the playoffs in 2016, so that's been. It's been a decade. There have not been a lot of like bright spots in the interim. I looked this up earlier, I should say one of my co hosts on our Hornets pod looked this up and said that he had thought it had been since night. I think it was since 1999 that they had won eight games in a row. So.

[Dave DeFore]

Wow.

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah, it's been, it's been looking for.

[Esperahenney]

History for their next game.

[Dave DeFore]

Did you say 1999?

[Brian Geisinger]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

That's. Okay. That's a little bit unfair. That's not that long ago, guys. Just.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah.

[Brian Geisinger]

For the record, look, Y2K messed everything up for the Hornets. Whether it was like recent or not. Like that clearly is where things went. Went sideways and Con canipple and Lamelo and Brandon Miller are trying to rewrite the code here.

[Esperahenney]

All of those guys not born before 1999, by the way. Likely. I. I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, they were. Yeah.

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

Look, I, I think where we have to start is those three. Brandon Miller wins Eastern Conference player of the week. He's been awesome this entire week throughout their win streak. The fact that he is this big jumbo wing that can do a little bit of everything, obviously shoots the ball incredibly well. Feels like he ties together their lineups incredibly well as well. The fact that he's healthy right now and playing has been a huge part of the Hornets success this season.

[Brian Geisinger]

He's been amazing. And just getting him back after he missed so much time last season and then gets hurt halfway through the second game this year in Philadelphia and he was just kind of on ice for a while and he's come back and I think he had to like sort of like knock the dust off a little bit. But once he like found his flow again, he's been outstanding.

[Esperahenney]

I think the shoulder wrap is insane, by the way.

[Brian Geisinger]

Can I just mention crazy? He. He looks like a left handed pitcher. I was going to say 127. You know, but, but he's, he's played outstanding. His, he's so malleable on offense, sort of like the way that Con Knippel is. But Miller, he can initiate pick and roll, he can be a screener and pick and roll actions. They've really leaned into him the last couple of weeks as like a coming off handoffs, coming off staggered screens, coming off down screens. And I think the movement in the synergy between Miller and Cotton Knippel is the thing that's like really helping open up the offense. They're shooting 70% at the rim since the calendar flipped to January. I think a lot of that has those two guys, their ability to sort of like help create advantages with their movement with their screening actions and just sort of like what that does for their offense. They're not having to be so, not like they were one dimensional earlier in the season, but they were so reliant on like the guard, guard screening actions. Those remain a huge piece of the offense, but they now have like these different looks that they can get to. And Miller has been terrific, really playing off of movement when he's in sort of like a secondary creator role or you know, when he's playing next to Lamelo or in some of their hybrid bench lineups. Miller's ability to sort of like, you know, be the like engine for the offense has really stood out. And I think for them to have, you know, he and Khan, two guys with size who can shoot off movement, plus can play make off movement too really does give them kind of a dimension offensively that is like pretty tricky to deal with. So. And happy to see Brandon out there playing this well.

[Esperahenney]

Totally.

[Dave DeFore]

And then there's Lamelo Ball who is to me playing some of his most grown up basketball of his entire career. He had 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists. Only two turnovers really turned it on in the fourth quarter of the game. Like I really, I think that his patience and his willingness to not settle for that long step back and to attack the basketball, they look like a different team when he's playing like this. I mean there's the turnaround. I mean we're going to hit this starting lineup change, but I, I do think that there's a difference in the Lamello ball that we're getting right now too.

[Brian Geisinger]

His. I thought if you guys watched the game against San Antonio from over the weekend when they beat Wembanyama in Charlotte, I thought it was maybe this is. There's some recency bias in this, but I thought it was as Patient of a game as he's played in the pick and roll specifically where he was like slowing down, he was getting guys on his hip, he was keeping them in jail with his dribble, he was using his length to sort of like shield the ball away. And I just thought his work in the middle ground game, whether San Antonio was in a zone and he was sort of like navigating the weird matchup angles of that, or it was pick and roll and he has Steph Castle, you know, trying to like fight over the screen and dog him from behind. And he's going into Wembanyama or Luke Kernett to, you know, terrific rim protectors. And I thought his decision making and just like pace in that game was so, so, so good. And ultimately like it's just him being healthy is a big deal. But I think it also helps that even though he's obviously he's the engine for the offense, he still plays big minutes. They're still very reliant on his playmaking, but like he's on a much more manageable load this season in terms of minutes. He played 30 minutes today against New Orleans and they just dialed the usage back from where it was in some like, kind of like irresponsible numbers the last couple of seasons before he got hurt. And I just think having Miller healthy, having Khan in the fold has allowed them to sort of like not like they were ever playing like Helio Ball necessarily with him because he wasn't playing like a full season of it, you.

[Esperahenney]

Know, but they were feeding him a lot of usage.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, well, someone has to take the shots on a bad team. And Lamelo being the most talented guy, often he's that guy. I mean it makes sense.

[Brian Geisinger]

My favorite season of Lamelo probably before this year was his rookie season. That's when he got to play with Hayward, Devonte Graham, Malik Monk, Terry Azir and like I. He was just in a little bit like easier to like navigate role. He's a better player and obviously he has a much larger role now. But just having more shooting, playmaking, passing, high field players around him has really, really helped his development this season.

[Esperahenney]

So the two numbers that jump out to me when it comes to the hornets is in 2026 they have the number one offense. They're 11 and 16 in January. They also have the fourth best defense in that time, which I think is huge. And on top of that, this starting lineup that we've kind of been teasing which is Musa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, con canipple, Lamello, Ball. Those guys are outscoring teams by a net rating of 30. Their offensive rating is 140, which is. It's number one in the NBA. Both of those numbers are number one. The starting lineup is absolutely whooping teams right now. And I mean, of course it's a big part of their success. But Brian, why do you. Why do you think this is something they can kind of replicate long term?

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah, I mean, I think it helps having with. With the main three of LaMelo, Kahn and Miller. There's just a lot of like shooting, ball handling and passing talent in that group and they can interact together because Lamelo can get off the ball and be a spacer and be a connector because Khan is such a good screener, you know, even as a rookie guard, because Miller is so great coming off handoffs and down screens. They can just like interact those guys and involve them in a lot of ways offensively. And it's just. It's a lot to deal with. I think like long term that has, you know, a lot of potential for Charlotte. Why? I think at least like for this season what they're doing is, you know, replicable to. Because they're probably getting some shooting luck on both sides over the last month too. But like they nailed the small stuff and like defensively they don't force a lot of turnovers, but they don't foul. They're. They've been an elite defensive rebounding team so far this season, mostly because of Musa Diabate, but like that's sort of an all hands on deck type thing. And so they just like. Because they don't foul and they control the defensive glass, you know, to steal a Zach low phrase or whatever, they start. It's like starting every game up four points, right? Because you're just like nailing these. These sort of like small things on the margin and then I think just sort of like the human element of basketball, like you get on a heart, you get on a hot streak, you start playing well. Like you watch some of these games with Charlotte recently and like seeing how much how guys are moving the way GU are playing in gaps, like they.

[Dave DeFore]

Never stop moving on offense. The. The read and react stuff with them. I mean there's a little bit of roll the ball out and make stuff happen when you've got this many guys that can put it on the deck and they all, they all are looking for smart opportunities to screen and cut. It looks like a high level at time and this is going to sound funny at times. It looks like a high level Basketball team, like from your high school, you know that. That just have played together their whole life. And that's an interesting development I think for team that's young.

[Esperahenney]

Like, I think it's the reason they can do that now is because they have a roster full of guys who can play within assist like Khan, Lamelo, Brandon Miller. They're all very good at doing this 0.5 basketball right decisions quickly. And by the way, Brian, you. You brought up Musa Diabate. Two huge fans of Musa here.

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah, put the antlers up, baby.

[Dave DeFore]

The, the motor on that guy. Again. You talked about their defensive rebounding, man, the, the motor on that guy. It's just, it's something else. I mean again, to be effective big in the NBA now if you're not an elite offensive creator slash three point shooter. It's motor.

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah. It. He. He's a obviously like he does a lot of good things for them, but ultimately for him it's his combination of scheme, versatility, guarding the pick and roll because he can switch out and guard different positions. He's not like, he's obviously, he's not like a jumbo sized center, so like he's not this sort of like traditional drop back five, but he can play drop coverage, he can protect the rim. He's obviously an excellent defensive rebounder. He's, you know, hovering close to 4% block rate this season. He gives you all of that plus the motor. And then on the offensive side of the floor, he just does all the stuff I think you would want with like a, a five that doesn't give you any stretch and isn't like a star type, you know, throw the ball into and play through them like he can, he can play make on the short roll, which makes him sort of like viable in late game situations for them. He really helps them touch multiple sides of the court with his ability to reverse it. And then like while they've been leaning really heavily into the guard, guard, pick and roll this season, I think in the last month they've been able to sort of like diversify the offense. They've gotten to more five out and a lot of that is hovering around. Diabate is like a, he's not like a.

[Dave DeFore]

He's like young Jared Allen, but, but.

[Brian Geisinger]

He can do that. He can do the handoffs and screen roll and slip. He can fake a handoff and keep it and get downhill. And so just like he's become like a real like piece for them on that side of the court. Even though like, you know, he had two field goal Attempts against New Orleans today, like his, his role is going to like vacillate game to game, but he's always going to give them the effort, the defensive work, the work on the glass and then just like certain matchups certain nights, you know, he could really be a force for them in the screen and roll and put back game on offense.

[Esperahenney]

So trade deadline is coming for the Charlotte Hornets. It feels like they are probably one of those teams that are not going to do too much, especially because they're going up the standings. If anything, they might end up buying. But what do you think the Hornets will do at the deadline?

[Brian Geisinger]

Yeah, I think, I think there's a good chance they do something small because Jeff Peterson, president of basketball operations in Charlotte, he's done, he's done at least something at every deadline since took over. They've been way more active under his administration than they were underneath Mitch Cupcheck previously or, or Rich Joe. And so I think there's a good chance they do something small. Whether that's, you're, you're flipping Colin Sexton for something, whether that's, you're shipping off Trey man as sort of like a piece of another transaction, you're finding a way to be, you know, to involve yourself in that or potentially, you know, they could, I guess they could do something bigger like trade Miles Bridges, but I think at this point they can't do that because, right, he's playing well, they're winning. I just, I, ultimately, I don't think they're going to do something like large like that, but I think there's a very good chance they find a way to, to do something small. Maybe it is fine to like be able to bring on a couple of future second round picks or something like that. I don't know if I see them being buyers. I would advocate for them not to do that again unless it was something small, but I think there's a good chance that they are, they're active later this week on the.

[Dave DeFore]

So you're saying do not make a Giannis trade. If you're the Hornets, you would not be.

[Brian Geisinger]

No, I don't, I don't, I don't.

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[Esperahenney]

I will say, look, if they could add Giannis to the.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, yes, it would be a lot. He'd be great.

[Brian Geisinger]

He'd fit perfectly. He really would. But I, I mean, who. I guess, at least I thought he.

[Dave DeFore]

Was gonna fit perfectly. Yeah, he fits everywhere. He takes everybody, maybe to the finals. He's one of the best ever guys go and check out Brian. He hosts the Buzzbeat podcast. They cover the Hornets. Seems like a good time to get in on the ground floor with the Hornets. You know, maybe kind of like the Oklahoma City Thunder 2010ish. You know, they've got this group of young guys I, I think and the Hornets have probably the best color scheme in the NBA. Yeah, we, the throwback stuff always looks good. I feel like the Hornets are going to be the hot team for like the next three or four years. I mean they just, they just seem like they're gonna be so good. So guys, go and check out Brian over at that podcast. Thank you Brian Geisinger, for hanging out with us. Thanks to Esperahenny. I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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