Hornets WAIVE Nick Smith Jr., Closing the Book on the DISASTROUS Jalen Duren Trade!

On today's show, we start with the breaking news that the Charlotte Hornets have waived guard Nick Smith Jr. While the move was widely expected due to a crowded backcourt, we take a moment to look back on his tenure. We acknowledge that he was a consummate professional who was given a fair opportunity to prove himself, but ultimately became a victim of the team's shift toward a veteran-heavy guard rotation. This decision officially closes the book on what we consider to be one of the worst cases of franchise malpractice of the Michael Jordan/Mitch Kupchak era: the 2022 draft-day trade of Jalen Duren. We revisit the details of that infamous move, where the Hornets traded the 13th overall pick for a future late first-rounder (which became Smith) in a blatant effort to save money. We explain why the flawed process behind that trade was even more frustrating than other draft misses from that time. Finally, with only one roster spot left to trim, we look ahead and debate which veteran guard, Pat Connaughton or Spencer Dinwiddie, will be the next and final cut before the season begins. Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://linktr.ee/lockedonhornets Become an official member of the Locked On Hornets Sicko Brigade and get Hornets news, rumors and pictures of Byron Mullens sent directly to your phone via Subtext (14 Day Free Trial): https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonhornets Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA Get Doug's gamenotes, special articles and a podcast on Hornets history at the Every Hornets Boxscore substack: everyhornetsboxscore.com Get more Walker on Wes and Walker 12-3pm on WFNZ 92.7 FM Top 35 Hornets Nicknames of All-Time According to Doug Branson: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-nicknames-in-hornets-franchise Top 35 Hornets of All-Time According to Walker Mehl: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-players-in-hornets-history 📲 Follow Locked On Hornets on Twitter Locked On Hornets https://twitter.com/LockedOnHornets Walker Mehl https://twitter.com/WalkerMehl Doug Branson https://twitter.com/DougBransonLOH Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! OpenPhone Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/lockedonnba Hungryroot With Hungryroot, it’s like having a personal shopper and a nutritionist all in one. For a limited time, get 40% off your first box and a free item in every box for life! Just go to Hungryroot.com/lockedonnba and use code LOCKEDONNBA. Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnba for 50% off your first year Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Right now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.