The Hornets have formally offered their open general manager job to former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). According to Stein, the Hornets are confident that they’ll be able to work out an agreement to bring Kupchak aboard. Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer echoes that sentiment, tweeting that it’s “basically a done deal.”
Charlotte has officially been on the lookout for a new general manager since informing Rich Cho he wouldn’t be retained back in February. However, even before then, Kupchak’s name was linked to the Hornets as a potential candidate to head the team’s basketball operations department. Kupchak had an existing relationship with Hornets controlling owner Michael Jordan, as both men attended the University of North Carolina.
While Kupchak was considered the frontrunner for the Hornets’ GM job throughout the search process, the team received permission to interview at least a few other candidates. Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was viewed as a serious contender for the position, and Sixers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon were among Charlotte’s other potential targets. However, it appears the Hornets have chosen to offer the job to the candidate who has the most experience running a franchise.
A three-time champion as an NBA player, Kupchak assumed control of the Lakers’ basketball operations in the summer of 2000, and won four more titles as the general manager in Los Angeles. Kupchak made several key moves to help buoy the franchise to its most recent championships in 2009 and 2010, including trading for Pau Gasol.
Despite his solid overall résumé, many of Kupchak’s personnel decisions during his last several years in Los Angeles didn’t pan out. The acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in 2012 backfired, and the massive contracts handed out to Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov in 2016 were among Kupchak’s most significant missteps. The longtime Lakers executive saw his tenure come to an end in February 2017, when the franchise replaced him and Jim Buss with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka.
If Kupchak accepts the Hornets’ offer and joins the franchise as its general manager, he’s expected to work with Buzz Peterson, another UNC alum who is currently handling GM duties in Charlotte on an interim basis.
I thought I had this job on lock
Big mistake by Hornets, this is the man who offered Deng and Mozgov 4 year contracts.
Also won four championships as an executive but I guess that doesn’t matter
Jerry West built that team.
I was under the impression that Mitch made the Deng/Mozgov signings as an FU to Jim Buss and the rest of the organization for not letting him pursue better moves. Either way, I’m surprised those signings were even greenlit. I don’t know the power structure in LA, but I’d imagine the Buss family would’ve had final say in those signings – correct?
I hope he’ll take Luol Deng in a trade now
He needs to fill the roster with “his guys” lol
No Jerry West made that Gasol trade happen, it was a gift at the time.
The Memphis GM at the time made the gift of talent. All he wanted were expirings and picks, and they blew the picks. IDK who they signed with the money but they did land Pau’s brother! Marc was slower to develop.
This is my local NBA team. It makes me sad and even less confident in the Hornets ever breaking free of the quagmire of mediocrity. Hiring someone from the UNC family like this is another ridiculous ill informed, unoriginal move by Jordan. This man Kupchak is not good at this job. Everyone who seriously follows the NBA knows this. His lack of success with free agents in LA will be exacerbated in Charlotte. The Hornets seriously don’t have a chance now. They have been doomed to at least a few more years of suckitude.