Southeast Notes: Olynyk, Hornets, Hawks

Kelly Olynyk is poised to cash in a pair of bonuses included in the contract he signed with the Heat last summer, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Olynyk’s deal, which included a base salary of about $10.61MM for 2017/18, featured a $400K bonus if Miami secured a playoff berth — the team clinched its postseason spot on Tuesday night.

In addition to that $400K, Olynyk is also in line to receive another $1MM for reaching a minutes-played incentive. His contract called for a $1MM bonus if he played at least 1,700 minutes this season, and he’s currently at 1,698. Barring a season-ending injury very early in tonight’s game against Atlanta, Olynyk should easily surpass that 1,700-minute threshold.

Here are a few more items from out of the Southeast division:

• Assuming Mitch Kupchak accepts the Hornets‘ offer to become the team’s new general manager, he’ll have a busy summer ahead of him, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who says that the franchise’s rebuild can’t be put on hold. Determining whether to retain head coach Steve Clifford and then finding a way to get out from under one or two long-term contracts would be atop Kupchak’s to-do list, Bonnell observes.
• ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes a look at the Hornets‘ upcoming offseason as well, noting that Kemba Walker‘s future is a major question looming over the organization. Marks also identifies Jeremy Lamb as a possible trade candidate, since his salary is modest enough that teams wouldn’t view his contract as a negative asset.
• The Hawks have been the NBA’s least effective team in terms of post-up offense this season, prompting Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype to explore a few players worth targeting in free agency if Atlanta wants to improve that aspect of its roster.