Post#13 » by Rays Pompadour » Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:04 pm
I'm not interested in internet guesswork by people who hear stuff. Nobody, and I mean nobody, knows what Kemba will do this offseason except Kemba and he's publicly affectionate for Charlotte. Personally, I think he likes the small market. If the Hornets ante up, I say he stays and begins recruiting.
Now, the rest of the roster is a problem. Lamb is a goner. Kaminski could surprise and stay in Charlotte if the front office makes some promises. And we know how good NBA promises are. But that would allow Zeller to be traded for a wing or a mid-round draft pick. The Kaminski-Zeller move isn't what you'd call a positive, but it creates structural efficiency while potentially adding young, cheap talent.
I just don't know what you do with Batum. He's like the grad student who lives at home in the basement and smokes dope on weekends. Charlotte simply can't cut bait here. It would cost too much to trade that contract or stretch it. He might be okay as a 6th man if given the right framework, but have we seen the Hornets be that creative? I say the club swallows hard and keeps the cupboard stocked with Doritos. And just say NO to a Batum/Love swap. That's John Wall terrible.
I suspect the bow of the boat will turn toward the younger talent next season: Monk, Bacon, Bridges, Graham. I don't see the draft pick adding much, unless Kupchak is able to translate the pick to a right-fit veteran that allows Charlotte to offload a contract (Biz? Williams?). More likely the pick spends his nights in Greensboro.
Trading is a tough gig for the Hornets due to the extreme ugliness of the contract merchandise. But, as we've seen these past couple of years, no contract is untradeable. Well, maybe John Wall. Best case for Charlotte is to find a partner and take on some salary. Now, this is where it gets really sticky. For this to work, Jordan will have to go into the luxury tax. I think he makes that decision by resigning Kemba. If all that works out, then a trade could happen. I predict the Hornets will make one significant trade before training camp. MKG and a draft pick will be part of it.
Free agency will be almost closed to the Hornets. I think that's a good thing. If the boat indeed turns toward youth, then free agency is not the best course. Expect low-level signings.
Overall, I don't think Charlotte will be super-aggressive or active in the offseason other than a full-court press to re-sign Kemba Walker. Get that done and it's a win. Everything else is secondary. If Kemba leaves, then this post is garbage. It might be garbage anyway, but at least it'll be legit.