- As the Hornets look to bounce back from another disappointing season, Cody Zeller will be a key piece to the puzzle. As Rick Bonnell points out for The Charlotte Observer, the Hornets have struggled mightily without Zeller, posting a 35-59 record in the games he has missed over the past four years. Zeller provides stellar two-way play and experience at the center position, which is exactly what the Hornets will need this season.
- Marks also notes that several players will have a chance to become eligible for super-max contracts with their current clubs if they make All-NBA teams this season. That list includes Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Draymond Green (Warriors), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), and Kemba Walker (Hornets). Additionally, Devin Booker‘s new extension with the Suns would start at 27.5% of the cap if he’s named to the All-NBA Third Team, 28.5% if he’s named to the Second Team, and 30% for First Team.
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Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is in the NBA’s concussion protocol and will not play in the team’s preseason game on Tuesday, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports. This is at least the second time in his career that Kidd-Gilchrist has suffered a concussion. He endured one during his rookie season in 2013. When Kidd-Gilchrist returns, his role will change, Bonnell notes. New coach James Borrego will play him primarily at power forward and he’ll likely be on the second unit.
So far this offseason, two players have signed rookie scale extensions: Devin Booker got a new deal from the Suns, and the Timberwolves locked up Karl-Anthony Towns to a new long-term pact.
In each of those instances, the player received a maximum salary extension. Max deals, which require little negotiation, typically get done well before the mid-October deadline for rookie scale extensions. But with that deadline now just two weeks away, we may start seeing progress on a few other deals around the NBA.
Besides Booker and Towns, 21 players are eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason, though some of the players on that list assuredly won’t get new deals. The Cavaliers aren’t about to give Sam Dekker a long-term contract, for example. And it’s safe to assume that the Bulls aren’t looking to lock up Cameron Payne early.
Still, there are several names on that list who are intriguing candidates for new deals. Here are 12 of them:
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Nets)
- Stanley Johnson (Pistons)
- Frank Kaminsky (Hornets)
- Trey Lyles (Nuggets)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Cavaliers)
- Kelly Oubre (Wizards)
- Bobby Portis (Bulls)
- Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)
- Terry Rozier (Celtics)
- Myles Turner (Pacers)
- Justise Winslow (Heat)
- Delon Wright (Raptors)
Not all the players on this list will sign rookie scale extensions within the next two weeks. In fact, most of them probably won’t. There are plenty of reasons for teams to wait — maybe the asking prices are too high, maybe their financial situations aren’t conducive to more long-term investments at this point, or maybe they simply want another season to take a closer look at their extension candidates.
[RELATED: Recent NBA Rookie Scale Extension History]
Still, it’s safe to assume that at least a couple players on this list will receive new deals. Typically, at least four players per year sign rookie scale extensions, and the numbers in previous seasons have often been much higher than that — in 2014, 2015, and 2016, a combined 24 players signed rookie scale extensions, for an average of eight per year.
With that October 15 deadline fast approaching, we want to know what you think. Which of this year’s extension candidates will receive new deals? Which deserve them, and at what price point? Which should be put off until they reach restricted free agency next summer?
Head to the comment section below to share your two cents on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates!
Howard, 32, signed with the Wizards in the offseason after he was acquired by the Nets and subsequently bought out. The eight-time All-Star is with his fifth team in seven seasons as he looks to build on a solid season with the Hornets in 2017/18. Playing in over 80 games for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign, Howard averaged 16.6 PPG and 12.5 RPG for Charlotte.
- Tony Parker admitted that it’s weird to don a uniform that isn’t the Spurs’ black and white for the first time in his 17-year NBA career. As Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer writes, Parker will need time to adjust to the Hornets, but this is the role he wanted. “This is a guy who’s a six-time all-star, a four-time NBA champion, been in NBA for 17 years and he’s in a new environment,” head coach James Borrego said. “New head coach. New teammates. New locker room. New city. And now coming off the bench — all that is new for him. … But Tony has bought into this role.”
- Hornets rookie Devonte’ Graham was acquired by Charlotte from the Hawks after Atlanta selected him in the second round. As he looks to make an impact for the Hornets, he believes that Charlotte is the right place to do that, Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer writes.
- The Hornets are one of several NBA teams that haven’t filled either their 15-man regular season roster or their two two-way contract slots. That’s by design, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who tweets that GM Mitch Kupchak is keeping an eye out for possible roster casualties around the league who could fit with the Hornets.
- The Hornets announced a series of additions to their basketball operations staff this week, including adding veteran NBA forward Matt Carroll as a player development assistant. Carroll, who spent most of his playing career in Charlotte, last appeared in an NBA game in 2012.
Hornets guard Kemba Walker is happy in Charlotte and has no desire to join a “super team,” according to an Associated Press report.
Walker made the comments today at the team’s media day, offering some insight into his plans for next summer. He will be part of a stellar free agent class in 2019 and is in position to earn a huge raise from the $12MM he will make this season.
“You see guys who are on elite teams,” Walker said. “I don’t want to do that. I want to create something special here in Charlotte, something that we have never had here before. I want to create some consistency. And I want to be a part of that.”
Walker has spent his entire seven-year NBA career in Charlotte after being taken with the ninth pick in the 2011 draft. The leading scorer in franchise history, Walker expressed confidence that the Hornets will make a strong effort to re-sign him, saying, “I just have that feeling.”
In a wide-ranging Q&A session with Matt Rochinski of Hornets.com, newly-signed veteran point guard Tony Parker discusses what brought him to Charlotte, his expectations for the upcoming season and more.
In regard to why he chose the Hornets, Parker says that he just wanted to do something different and experience something new. “I’ve been with the Spurs for a long time – 17 years… I know it sounds simple – but I just wanted to see something else – go to the East Coast and go do something else in the NBA.”
Parker also touched upon the close relationship he has with Hornets’ forward Nicolas Batum, a longtime teammate of Parker’s on the French national team, and new head coach James Borrego, who was a longtime Spurs’ assistant coach before taking the head job in Charlotte.
Parker also added that having his idol, Hornets’ owner Michael Jordan, reach out to him factored into his decision. For a more in-depth look into Parker’s mindset heading into the 2018/19 season, make sure to check out the entire interview transcript.
- Getting more out of second-year guard Malik Monk and dividing minutes at center among Cody Zeller, Willy Hernangomez, Bismack Biyombo and Frank Kaminsky are a couple of the storylines to watch with the Hornets this season. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer breaks down the top 10 storylines for Charlotte.
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Charlotte Hornets.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- Tony Parker: Two years, $10.25MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Jaylen Barford: One year, minimum salary.
- Joe Chealey: One year, minimum salary.
- Zach Smith: One year, minimum salary.
- Isaiah Wilkins: One year, minimum salary.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Miles Bridges (No. 12 pick), the Cavaliers’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Clippers’ 2021 second-round pick from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Devonte’ Graham (No. 34 pick) from the Hawks in exchange for the Hornets’ 2019 second-round pick and the Hornets’ 2023 second-round pick.
- Acquired Timofey Mozgov, the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo (No. 45 pick), the Nets’ 2021 second-round pick, and cash ($5MM) from the Nets in exchange for Dwight Howard.
- Acquired the Thunder’s 2019 second-round pick and cash ($243K) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo (No. 45 pick).
- Acquired Bismack Biyombo, either the Wizards’ or Nuggets’ 2019 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable), and either the Nets’ or Knicks’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable) in a three-way trade with the Bulls and Magic in exchange for Timofey Mozgov (to Magic) and Julyan Stone (to Bulls).
Draft picks:
- 1-12: Miles Bridges — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-34: Devonte’ Graham — Signed to three-year, $4.07MM contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- 2-55: Arnoldas Kulboka — Will play overseas.
Departing players:
- Michael Carter-Williams
- Treveon Graham
- Dwight Howard
- Mangok Mathiang (two-way; waived)
- Marcus Paige (two-way)
- Julyan Stone
Other offseason news:
- Hired James Borrego as head coach to replace Steve Clifford; finalized coaching staff.
- Named Joe Wolf new head coach of G League affiliate Greensboro Swarm.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $120.3MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
- $2.65MM of mid-level exception still available ($5.99MM used on Tony Parker and Devonte’ Graham).
- Full bi-annual exception ($3.38MM) still available.
Check out the Charlotte Hornets’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Hornets were the only NBA team to separately replace both their head of basketball operations (Rich Cho) and their head coach (Steve Clifford) this spring, a sign that team ownership was dissatisfied with the latest stretch of mediocrity in Charlotte.
Since re-entering the NBA as an expansion team in 2004, Charlotte has finished above .500 just three times and has never won a postseason series. During the last two years of Cho’s and Clifford’s respective tenures, the team posted identical 36-46 records, unable to earn a playoff spot in a subpar Eastern Conference.
In an effort to turn things around, the Hornets brought in former Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to run the team and hired Spurs assistant James Borrego as their new head coach. There’s no doubt that the two men have winning pedigrees — they combined for six titles in Los Angeles and San Antonio, respectively.
Still, Kupchak’s tenure in L.A. ended with a series of questionable roster moves, and Borrego’s only NBA head coaching experience came when he went 10-20 as the Magic’s interim coach in 2014/15. They’ll have to prove themselves all over again in their new roles with the Hornets, but the roster they inherited – loaded with pricey multiyear contracts – didn’t give them a real opportunity to put a stamp on the franchise this summer.