As heartbreaking as David West and Aaron Gray opting out may be, truly, a lot of the problems with the Hornets roster were not the starting 4 (other than the obvious huge hole at SG) but in rotation players who couldn’t ever seem to find their groove.

We’ve seen that Dell Demps is the type of GM who looks for value in his trades and free agent signings. No doubt he’s thinking long and hard about how to sign Landry, West, or Landry and West and shore up the PF position.  But in the back of his mind he knows that we need depth on this team, a starting consistent SG, and a backup center. After taking a look at CBS’s “Top 40 Players in NBA Free Agency,” here are a few off-the-radar pickups that might be worth a look.

Marcus Thornton – Last week he wouldn’t even be on this list, but with the addition of Jimmer Fredrette and John Salmons, and Tyreke Evans, Sac-town now has four guards who need the ball in their hands to score. They might let MT5 come back.  Also, we know this would make the fans happy, and would eliminate a need for the re-signing of Bellinelli (or Willie Green, although with Monty’s penchant for playing Willie at every position from 1 to 3 he has some utility). Hey, you never know, right?

Nick Young – SG – A guy that the Hornets loved in the 2007 Draft but decided instead to go with the versatility of Julian Wright (love how that one turned out). The man can defend multiple positions (he’s 6’7) can score and had a breakout season last year with the Wizards, so he will probably come at a higher price than say, Mt5.

Tracy McGrady – F – Might have something left in the tank, you never know. The idea of teaming with CP3 might entice him to come on down. He can still score and play the wing. Vince Carter should be bought out and a free agent as well, but both of these players will be chasing a championship and may look to the Heat-Knicks-LA-Dallas level of teams.

Alexis Ajinca – C – French national who last played in Toronto and could play some decent backup center minutes for us. With Gray likely gone (his value has never been higher and he’s just not worth the long-term deal) that leaves us with David Anderson and D.J. Mbenga. I’d like to see him on an non-guaranteed contract and see how he does in training camp. Anderson might be a nice throw in on a trade later.

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