Kelly Oubre Jr.'s name had come up in trade rumors — to the Warriors, maybe the Lakers (maybe not), there were others — but that likely is off the table now.
Oubre will be out for at least a month and maybe more due to an upcoming surgery to repair a ligament in his hand, according to multiple reports. Shams Charania of The Athletic was first.
Sources: Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. will undergo surgery on a torn ligament in his left hand and miss 4-to-6 weeks. Oubre – averaging a career high 20.2 points – suffered the injury in the first week of the season and has been playing through the pain on his shooting hand.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 3, 2023
This is another blow to a Hornets team riddled with injuries and roster issues this season. Oubre averages 20.2 points per game — second on the team — and has been a player that coach Steve Clifford has leaned on to fill roster holes this season. The injury is not new, he’s been playing through pain since the first week of the season reports Rod Boone at the Charlotte Observer, but it got to the point something needs to be done.
In other, less surprising news, Gordon Hayward also will be out for the Hornets due to a hamstring issue. He suffered it against the Lakers on Monday, left the game, and is listed as day-to-day.
