Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[surfpuckmd]

Neither are very good defenders. The gap is certainly not "much better". And Hardy will get better, THJ is what he is.

THJ was an average defensive player last season. Jaden Hardy was a bad defender last year.   I think that qualifies as much better.

I hope Jaden Hardy becomes better at defense.  Most rookies struggle defensively in the NBA so there's reasonable hope he'll get better.  I also think it's likely that he will be a better player overall than THJ in the next 1-2 years.  That doesn't mean we should trade THJ this summer.