Charlotte Hornets Bad injury luck reared its head once again. Big man Nick Richards will be out for the foreseeable future due to a rib cartilage fracture suffered in a game against the Boston Celtics, while nominal starting center Mark Williams is still nursing a foot injury. The Hornets may need another NBA-caliber big man to have a chance to win games consistently over the next few weeks, especially without Miles Bridges.

The problem is, what the Hornets are looking for is one of the rarest player profiles in the entire association. There are many teams in the league that settle for below-average majors, some even with playoff aspirations. The New Orleans Pelicans have put all their trust in aging veteran Daniel Theis and rookie Yves Missi. The New York Knicks are one injury away from Karl-Anthony Towns being in the same boat as the Hornets. With these circumstances in mind, here are some possible targets Charlotte could pursue.

Olivier, the brother of this year’s second pick, Alex Sarr, is currently a free agent after spending three years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played 46 regular season NBA games during his time there (15 last season). He also joined the Thunder’s G-League squad, leading the Oklahoma City Blue to the championship. He tore his Achilles in the final game of the Finals, which prevented him from re-signing with the Thunder.

This injury occurred about seven months ago, so it is unlikely that he will have completed his recovery and be ready to find a new team by now. What makes Sarr an attractive candidate is his ability to stretch the ground a bit. He is shooting 37.2% (16/43) in the NBA and 35.2% (32/91) in the G-League in his career. At 25 years old, he would bring some experience while also having the advantage of being more than a backup.

Another free agent, Bismack Biyombo, also spent part of his senior year under contract at Oklahoma. Unlike Sarr, a 32-year-old player in the twilight of his career, his lack of floor space does not sit well with today’s age. But his solid defense, especially at the rim, has kept him in the NBA to this point, and he can likely provide some solid minutes in the coming weeks.

Biyombo’s history with the Hornets is what makes this addition possible. The Congolese big man started his NBA career in Charlotte in 2011, as part of the famous 7-59 Bobcats squad. After two short stints in Toronto and Orlando, Bismack returned to the city center in 2018 and remained there for another three years. A second return does not seem impossible.

Trading is rare at this time of year. Even if teams decide they need new motivation this early, many players have just signed new contracts and cannot be replaced. However, this is not the case for Reath, who signed a contract extension in February. This comes in the midst of an impressive rookie season for the undrafted 28-year-old; He averaged nine points and four rebounds while making 36.1% of his 3.6 three-point attempts per game.

But now that the Trailblazers have drafted Donovan Clingan and the duo of Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III are healthy, Reath appears to be losing ground quickly. He has only appeared in five games so far, playing around 16 minutes in total. To acquire him, the Hornets could give up DaQuan Jeffries and put in some draft capital.

The Hornets have a very good program after losing their big man. Detroit was without its nominal center Jalen Duren for most of the game, and the Pacers’ frontcourt doesn’t have much interior presence anyway. At the same time, Moussa Diabate and Taj Gibson have done a terrific job considering their original expectations entering the season.

However, if Jeff Peterson decides to remain on this roster, the more talented and dominant big men will have their way with the Hornets. Naz Reid did this on Monday and scored 25 points with great efficiency. Over the next five games, LaMelo and Co. will face powers like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Andre Drummond. Finding another body to attack them with is certainly on Peterson’s mind, and there are some viable options on the market.

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