Should Hornets Consider Trading Moussa Diabaté After Breakout Season?

Ben CooperSun, July 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC·2 min read

The Charlotte Hornets have made a flurry of moves this offseason, including trading away franchise star LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Hornets are building their core around young stars Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. Charlotte has added more youth to the roster, selecting Hannes Steinbach with the 14th overall pick and Christian Anderson with the 18th.

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Charlotte has a plethora of young talent on the roster, which could make some pieces expendable. Center Moussa Diabaté could be one of those players, as he's coming off a career year for the Hornets.

Diabaté is entering the final year of his contract, and the Hornets could move him while his value is high rather than extending him on a long-term deal.

In the 2025-26 season, Diabaté averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and a block per game, shooting 63.1 percent from the field. The 24-year-old is a quality rebounder and shot blocker and could yield a solid return for Charlotte.

The Hornets have a rookie big in Steinbach coming in, and Ryan Kalkbrenner is entering his second year in the league.

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Steinbach had an impressive freshman season at Washington in the 2025-26 season, averaging 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 34 percent from behind the arc.

As an early pick for the Hornets, he will likely carve out a rotational role as a quality rebounder and shot blocker in his rookie campaign.

Kalkbrenner is also coming off a solid year for Charlotte in his rookie season, averaging 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting an efficient 75.3 percent from the field.

Splitting minutes between Steinbach, Kalkbrenner, and Diabaté could be difficult, unless Charlotte plays Steinbach at power forward when Naz Reid is off the floor.

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Although Diabaté is a solid player, if the Hornets can receive draft capital for him and trust in Steinbach and Kalkbrenner as their center rotation, moving on from him could make a ton of sense as they continue to build around their budding star duo of Knueppel and Miller.