NBA Trade Rumors: Hornets Won't Land Enough Value to Trade 10th Pick

The New Orleans Hornets need to hold onto the No. 10 pick and take the best player available because they will not get enough value on a trade to make it worth sending the pick away. 

They clearly have not been shy about letting it be known that the pick is available. There is nothing wrong with this. They should get a feel for what kind of value is out there, and considering their ownership situation is not finalized yet, it is always good to remind others they are open for business. 

The problem is that they aren't going to get the kind of value to make this deal worth it. 

HOOPSWORLD's Alex Kennedy dishes the latest rumors on the Hornets and their picks.

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The New Orleans Hornets will select Anthony Davis with the #1 pick in the draft, but I'm told they may trade #10. They're shopping the pick.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 13, 2012"

No surprise with the Hornets taking Davis No. 1, but that confirmation of what was expected only drives home the point that the Hornets should hold onto No. 10. 

Davis is an amazingly exciting talent, but he is only 19 years old. New Orleans will rightfully try to build around him, but they have to do so with youth. That way they can land a group of players that are ready to learn and grow together. 

Drafting a quality player at No. 10 is far from a sure thing, but it would take a massive flop to add someone that doesn't produce at all.

Jimmer Fredette, Paul George, Brandon Jennings, Brook Lopez and Spencer Hawes were the last five No. 10 selections. There is some nice talent in that group, and it is more exciting than what they would get in a trade. 

The 10th pick was shipped out last year, but that was part of a three-way trade that involved the Charlotte Bobcats, and looking at what the Bobcats have done is not a good way to anticipate what other teams will do. 

In 2010, the Timberwolves received Martell Webster by trading the No. 16 pick and Ryan Gomes. Obviously, the 16th pick is not as valuable as the 10th pick, but this is not a particularly deep draft and they included Gomes. The value is not likely going to be perceived as being that much greater. 

Webster was traded at the age of 23 and was coming off of a year where he averaged 9.4 points in 24.5 minutes per game. Decent numbers and he was still young, but it was already pretty clear that he was never going to be anything more than a decent piece off the bench. 

Should the Hornets trade the No. 10 pick for a decent piece off their bench? No, they shouldn't. There will be talent available at No. 10. They will likely have their pick of top point guard talents in Kendall Marshall or Damian Lillard, and there could be a nice talent that is projected to go higher who slides. 

If the Hornets make the right call at No. 10, they could come away with the two cornerstone pieces of a championship caliber team from this draft, and that possibility is far more exciting than trading for a bench player.