After a solid 2015/16 season, the Hornets took a step back in ’16/17, with their win total dipping from 48 to 36. As Charlotte looks to bounce back, the fact that Kemba Walker is the sixth-highest-paid player on the roster is both good and bad news for the club — Walker is on a very team-friendly contract, but the Hornets have made some other questionable big-money investments that will limit their flexibility.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Hornets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Nicolas Batum ($22,434,783)
- Marvin Williams ($13,168,750)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($13,000,000)
- Cody Zeller ($12,584,270)
- Miles Plumlee ($12,500,000)
- Kemba Walker ($12,000,000)
- Jeremy Lamb ($7,000,000)
- Marco Belinelli ($6,606,060)
- Frank Kaminsky ($2,847,600)
- Total: $102,141,463
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Ramon Sessions ($6,270,000)
- Total: $6,270,000
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Johnny O’Bryant ($1,524,305)1
- Briante Weber ($1,471,382)2
- Treveon Graham ($1,312,611)
- Total: $4,308,298
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- No. 11 overall pick ($2,904,480)
- Brian Roberts ($1,471,382)
- Christian Wood ($1,471,382)
- Total: $5,847,244
Trade Exceptions
- Troy Daniels TPE ($1,666,470) — Expires 7/12/17
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: –$5,677,173
- The Hornets’ guaranteed salaries, plus cap holds for their first-round pick and two empty roster spots, total $106,677,173, putting the team over the cap. So, barring a significant change in direction, Charlotte is unlikely to dip below the cap this summer.
Footnotes:
- O’Bryant’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
- Weber’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Charlotte needs to find a way to dump Plumlee and possibly Batum or Williams salaries
They should never have picked up Plumlee’s salary to begin with. His brother probably won’t even get that contract this offseason.
Mason definetly will get something close to that. I agree they should have never traded for him, waited for Hibberts contract to expire at the seasons end and hoped to find someone willing to take on Hawes contract.