The Charlotte Hornets fell back last year after a playoff run the prior season. Injuries to Al Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker, among others, and the ill-fated signing of Lance Stephenson were all contributors to the tough season. Gerald Henderson was forced to carry the offense for large chunks of the campaign. That isn’t ideal for a team with playoff aspirations. Despite the tough year, the Hornets hung in the playoff race right up until the final weeks. Ultimately, the injuries were too much to overcome and Charlotte dropped back to the lottery.
The Hornets began a semi-rebuilding process after the season. Stephenson, who should have filled a hole at the shooting guard spot, was traded to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Hawes will fill a role as a backup big man for Charlotte, but seems a bit redundant with Cody Zeller already on the roster and what transpired at the draft.
Barnes’ time in Charlotte wasn’t long, as he was sent to Memphis for Luke Ridnour. The Hornets became one of many teams to own Ridnour’s rights at some point this offseason. The Hornets were able to turn Ridnour’s contract into Jeremy Lamb when the Thunder were looking to clear salary and open up roster spots. Lamb will have every chance to show he is worthy of a spot in the league as at least a bench scorer at shooting guard.
The day before the draft, the Hornets made their next big move. Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh, last year’s first round pick, were sent to Portland for Nicolas Batum. Henderson, despite consistent production and growth, seemed to have worn out his welcome with Charlotte. Vonleh was given up on before even getting a chance to show if he can play or not. That is a steep fall after being seen as one of the steals of the 2014 draft. But Charlotte was getting crowded at the PF/C spots. Batum will fill a need as the all-around player the roster was missing. He may be able to fill what the team thought they would get from Stephenson last year. With Kidd-Gilchrist and Batum the Hornets have two very good wing defenders. This is important as Jefferson and Walker are both seen as defensive liabilities. Any help on that end is very welcome.
Despite being offered a massive overpay from the Boston Celtics when Justise Winslow slid in the draft, Charlotte chose to stay put and use their pick. Many figured they would then use it on Winslow themselves, as he would have been a nice developmental piece behind Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist. Instead the Hornets picked Frank Kaminsky. The shock wasn’t so much in when Kaminsky was drafted, as it was that he was picked by Charlotte. They already have Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Spencer Hawes and Marvin Williams who can play PF, C or both. Jefferson and Williams are both expiring contracts, but for a team that just gave up on Noah Vonleh after one year, Kaminsky was a curious pick. Passing on the bounty the Celtics were offering comes with that much more scrutiny. Charlotte traded their second rounder for two future second round picks from Brooklyn. Without a lot of roster spots available, that was solid work to roll the pick over to next year and add an additional pick.
In free agency, the Hornets were able to add Jeremy Lin using the Bi-Annual Exception. Lin will replace Brian Roberts in the rotation, last year’s backup point guard signing. Lin gives the team an offensive spark off the bench and a solid spot starter should injuries hit Kemba Walker again. The team also brought Tyler Hansbrough back to North Carolina. Given all the other players they have at PF/C, this signing doesn’t make a lot of sense. It was for the Veteran Minimum, however, so there is not much risk there. And finally, Aaron Harrison was brought in as a rookie free agent. And Elliot Williams was signed to a partially guaranteed contract. Those two will fight it out for the final roster spot throughout training camp and the preseason.
Two players, who were both contributors, moved on as free agents. Mo Williams was very good for Charlotte after coming in at the Trade Deadline. Williams wanted to be on a contender and moved on to Cleveland. His production should largely be replaced by Jeremy Lin. Bismack Biyombo also moved on. Biyombo was drafted by Charlotte with great potential. However, his offensive game never developed. He struggled to do anything offensively beyond putbacks and dunks of perfect passes. His hands and touch aren’t good enough at this point to allow him to do anymore on that end of the court. His defense and rebounding are solid enough, but not anything beyond backup level. If Zeller or Kaminsky develop, he won’t be missed.
Offseason Grade: C-. The Hornets are a bit stuck in the middle. They could finish anywhere from seventh to 14th in the Eastern Conference. They do have future flexibility, as Jefferson, Batum, and Williams are all expiring after this season. Walker is signed to a very reasonable deal. The challenges are that Kidd-Gilchrist and Lamb are both Restricted Free Agents after the season. If both prove worthy of big deals, that starts to eat in to the future flexibility. Despite that, the team has plenty of cap space next year to make additions to their young core.
This year the picture likely won’t be as pretty. The transactions this offseason made sense as individual moves. But when you add them together, the whole thing gets messy. Passing on all those picks from Boston only makes sense if Kaminsky develops in to a top tier big man. This year, he’ll struggle to find minutes with everyone in front of him. Batum was a nice addition, but how big of an upgrade he’ll be over Henderson remains to be seen. The team still lacks shooting, beyond Walker, and has to hope Lamb can provide that. Troy Daniels may actually see run because of his ability to shoot the ball from distance.
Overall, the Charlotte offseason was lacking. Despite some decent moves, there are still too many question marks up and down the roster. Giving up on Vonleh so quickly in a deal for a player who isn’t a clear upgrade is tough. Draft night heavily influenced the grade also, as passing on the trade with Boston, and drafting Kaminsky who doesn’t fill a need is hard to understand. Charlotte should be in the mix for one of the last playoff spots if all goes right. But if that is your upside, is that a successful season?
