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Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. will be out 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand, which is also his shooting hand, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. Oubre suffered the injury during the first week of the regular season, but played through it up to this point. This is a tough blow for a Charlotte team that has been sluggish to start this season, sitting at 10-28 on the season, the second-worst record in the league. 

Oubre's injury adds to the list of rotating Hornets players who have missed time this season, including All-Star guard LaMelo Ball who has played just 14 games due to a sprained ankle. Gordon Hayward has been sidelined on two different occasions with various injuries, and Charlotte is still without Cody Martin, who underwent knee surgery after the first game of the season. 

But Oubre's injury is amongst the most significant for the Hornets, as he was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging a career-high 20.2 points a night. The timing of his surgery also isn't ideal, as Oubre is a prime trade candidate ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. With Charlotte more destined for the draft lottery than the playoffs -- or play-in -- Oubre's pure scoring could help any number of contending teams looking to add depth off the bench of fill a hole in the starting lineup. He's on an expiring $12.6 million deal, which makes him even more enticing as a trade target, and unless Charlotte plans on re-signing him in the offseason, getting something of value in return for him on the trade market is better than losing him for nothing if he signs elsewhere this summer.

However, this injury changes things for the Hornets. At a minimum, if Oubre is out for just the four weeks, he could return the week before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, which would be ideal if Charlotte wants to trade him. But if he stays sidelined for the full six weeks, he won't return until mid-February, and the chances of other teams trading anything valuable for an injured player who isn't a superstar are slim. 

We'll have to see how Oubre recovers post-surgery, and see if the Hornets plan on moving him as we inch closer to the trade deadline. But for right now, without Oubre, the road to climbing up the standings gets even tougher for Charlotte. On the other hand, though, if the Hornets keep on losing it just helps their chances of landing the top selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, allowing them to take projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama.