Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! Today, we are looking back on the Charlotte Hornets’ offseason!
Previous Offseason Outlooks:
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Additions: Moussa Diabate, Taj Gibson, Josh Green (trade)
Subtractions: Aleksej Pokusevski, Bryce McGowens, Marques Bolden, Leaky Black, Amari Bailey, Davis Bertans, J.T. Thor
Re-signed: Miles Bridges, Seth Curry
Draft: Tidjane Salaun (No. 6 overall), K.J. Simpson (No. 42)
Hanifan’s Take: The Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the East over the last two seasons, going a combined 48-116 (.293) with a minus-8.1 NET Rating. Changes needed to be made. This was the first offseason under new ownership (Gabe Plotkin, Rich Schnall) after Michael Jordan–the team’s majority owner for the last 13 seasons–sold his stake for $3 billion. This was also the first offseason for the team’s new president, Jeff Peterson, whose biggest order of business was finding a replacement for Steve Clifford–who transitioned into a front-office role. They ultimately hired top Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee, who has quite a strong coaching resume, despite being only 39-years-old. What Peterson also did was begin to stockpile assets, adding Josh Green plus two second-round picks in the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade. I would argue that was his best move this offseason; typically you net that kind of capital if it’s a bad contract. Green’s isn’t. That said, I was equally as bearish on re-upping with Bridges for three years, $75 million. By now, his off-court troubles are well-documented (Note: charges were dismissed in February). I’m not sure who was rushing to give that contract to him–after he was playing on a $7.9 million qualifying offer–with what’s on his resume. That’s poor process. Plus, with the infusion of Brandon Miller and rookie Tidjane Salaun, I’m not sure Bridges is a great basketball fit with this group. Alas, Peterson made his intentions clear that the 26-year-old is a part of the team’s short-term plans. I think Charlotte got a legit future backup guard in K.J. Simpson, who I was a big fan of in the pre-draft process. I also expect Peterson to be active in the trade market leading up to next February’s trade deadline, just in case they can continue to acquire more future assets.
Grade: C
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