- The Hornets brought in D.J. Funderburk, Justin Gorham, A.J. Lawson, Alonzo Verge Jr., Duane Washington Jr., and Bryce Wills for pre-draft workouts on Wednesday, according to the team (Twitter link).
July 7 is the deadline for college early entrants who declared for the 2021 NBA draft to withdraw and maintain their NCAA eligibility. The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline for early entrants is July 19, but a college player who removes his name from the draft after today wouldn’t be able to play college ball next season.
With that in mind, we’re expecting several more updates before the end of the day on which players are going pro and which are returning to college.
Italian wing Gabriele Procida, Marquette forward Dawson Garcia, Southern Utah guard John Knight III, and Louisiana forward Dou Gueye are among the players withdrawing from the draft, according to reports from Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (all links go to Twitter). Garcia may transfer, with UNC, Arizona, and Illinois in the mix for his services, per Rothstein.
Conversely, Boston College forward Steffon Mitchell tells Rothstein (Twitter link) that he intends to remain in the draft, forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility. Loyola Maryland forward Santi Aldama will also go pro rather than returning to college, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link).
Here’s more on the draft:
- Belgian wing Vrenz Bleijenbergh will keep his name in the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Bleijenbergh, who will take part in the upcoming group workout in Minnesota, also has auditions lined up with the Thunder, Grizzlies, Kings, Hornets, and Mavericks, Givony reports.
- Givony is joined by ESPN colleagues Mike Schmitz and Bobby Marks for an in-depth look at where things stand with the draft. The trio discusses how much trade action we should expect in the first round and suggests that Keon Johnson is one of the most polarizing prospects in this year’s class. Some teams have Johnson in the second tier of prospects alongside Jonathan Kuminga and Scottie Barnes, while others view him as a middle-to-late first-round flier, Givony writes.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has shared a new version of his 2021 mock draft.
- The Hornets worked out potential lottery pick Jalen Johnson today, according to a tweet from the team. Johnson had a turbulent year at Duke, and eventually withdrew from the program, but came in with a high pedigree and an intriguing point-forward skillset.
Little Rock big man Ruot Monyyong is set to work out for the Kings on July 8, tweets Jason Jones of The Athletic. Jones adds that the 6’10” Monyyong was the 2020 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and was twice named to the All-Sun Belt team during his college career. Monyyong averaged 11.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.5 APG, and 0.9 SPG across his two NCAA seasons.
There’s more on the draft:
- The Hornets tweeted their draft prospect workouts for Saturday, July 3. The club took a look at the following players: Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey, Marquette guard D.J. Carton, Oregon guard Chris Duarte, Tennessee guard Keon Johnson, Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson, and Alabama guard Joshua Primo. Charlotte currently possesses the No. 11 and No. 56 picks in the upcoming 2021 draft.
- 6’10” Belgian wing Vrenz Bleijenbergh has pre-draft workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Grizzlies, Pistons and Kings, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Wasserman notes that the oversized small forward is thought of as a solid play-maker and shooter.
- Florida power forward Colin Castleton plans to return to school for the 2021/22 season, and will accordingly withdraw from the 2021 NBA draft, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. The 6’11” Castleton averaged 12.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG last season.
The Hornets worked out seven draft prospects on Friday, headlined by UConn guard James Bouknight, P.J. Morales of the Charlotte Observer writes. Bouknight is rated as the No. 8 overall prospect on ESPN’s Best Available list. Auburn guard Sharife Cooper (No. 18 on ESPN’s list), Tennessee guard Jaden Springer (No. 27), and Auburn forward JT Thor (No. 28) were some of the other potential first-rounders who visited. The group also included Iowa center Luka Garza, Howard center Makur Maker, and Croatian forward Roko Prkacin (No. 37).
The Pacers are close to hiring former Hornets assistant coach Ronald Nored to join Rick Carlisle‘s staff, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Nored reportedly received consideration for the Wizards’ head coaching job. It’s not clear if he remains a candidate for that position, but presumably if he takes an assistant job in Indiana he wouldn’t expect to be hired by Washington.
The Pacers have zeroed in on former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce as Carlisle’s top assistant. Darrell Armstrong, Carlisle’s longtime assistant with the Mavericks, will not join him in Indiana, J. Michael adds in a separate tweet.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Jalen Green‘s scoring ability makes him a legitimate candidate for the Pistons to select him with the top overall pick, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Green, who played with the G League’s Ignite team this season, is the most likely member of this year’s draft class to lead the league in scoring during his career, Langlois notes. At 6’6”, Green also has the size, elite skill level, athleticism and work ethic to be a special player in the league and that would give any team holding the top pick a lot to consider heading into the draft.
- The Pistons shouldn’t consider trading Jerami Grant coming off his career year, Rod Beard of the Detroit News opines. Dealing Grant would send a bad message that Detroit would be willing to flip an improving player who chose the franchise in free agency, Beard notes. Grant, who was recently added to Team USA, would be a top-line scorer and defender on a contending team, Beard adds.
- By re-hiring Carlisle, the Pacers are making a statement that they are no longer satisfied with mediocrity, says Bob Kravitz of The Athletic. Despite the team’s record this season, the Pacers have the pieces to make the playoffs and blossom into a contender. However, they need direction, professionalism and accountability, and bringing in Carlisle should facilitate that process.
The roster has been released for the U.S. Select Team, which will help Team USA prepare for the Olympics, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Select Team, which will practice with and scrimmage against the national team during the upcoming training camp in Las Vegas, is made up mostly of first- and second-year NBA players. It will be coached by Erik Spoelstra of the Heat.
Making up the roster are:
- Saddiq Bey, Pistons
- Miles Bridges, Hornets
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers
- Tyrese Haliburton, Kings
- Tyler Herro, Heat
- John Jenkins
- Keldon Johnson, Spurs
- Josh Magette
- Dakota Mathias, Sixers
- Immanuel Quickley, Knicks
- Naz Reid, Timberwolves
- Cameron Reynolds, Rockets
- Isaiah Stewart, Pistons
- Obi Toppin, Knicks
- P.J. Washington, Hornets
- Patrick Williams, Bulls
- Besides Indiana, Primo is scheduled for workouts with the Pelicans, Hornets, Spurs, and Thunder, a source tells Wasserman (Twitter link). The draft’s youngest prospect, Primo is “firmly” in the first-round picture, Wasserman adds.
1:10pm: Bulls assistant Chris Fleming has also interviewed for the Wizards’ head coaching position, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).
12:28pm: The Wizards are continuing through their first round of head coaching interviews this week, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who hears that the team could move onto the next stage of the process by the end of the week.
An earlier report indicated that Washington’s search for Scott Brooks‘ replacement will be “lengthy and thorough.” Only a handful of candidates have been reported so far, but Scotto adds a couple more names to that list.
According to Scotto, Hornets assistant Ronald Nored and Heat assistant Chris Quinn are receiving consideration from the Wizards and were in the mix for the team’s first round of interviews.
Nored, who played for Butler from 2008-12 and coached the Long Island Nets from 2016-18, is also drawing interest from the Pacers as a possible assistant on Rick Carlisle‘s staff, Scotto adds. Quinn, meanwhile, has been a member of Erik Spoelstra‘s staff in Miami since 2014 and reportedly interviewed for Indiana’s head coaching job in 2020.
Nored and Quinn join a group of candidates that includes Wes Unseld Jr., Scott Morrison, Jamahl Mosley, and Sam Cassell. As we relayed earlier today, Cassell interviewed with the Wizards on Tuesday.
At the end of the 2019/20 season, few NBA franchises appeared to be in a worse spot than the Hornets, who won just 23 games, missed the playoffs for a fourth straight seasons, and didn’t have any young players with legitimate star upside on their roster.
The Hornets didn’t snap their playoff drought in 2021, but a year later, their outlook is considerably brighter. That turnaround can be attributed in large part to nailing the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft. LaMelo Ball became the NBA’s Rookie of the Year and looks like the best bet of any 2020 draftee to eventually make an All-Star team.
Charlotte also added forward Gordon Hayward on a four-year, $120MM contract during 2020’s free agent period. The deal was widely viewed as an overpay, and it’s possible the Hornets will end up regretting it in a year or two. Still, it was an encouraging sign that the franchise was able to land one of the summer’s top free agents, beating out the Pacers and Knicks, among others.
Ball and Hayward both missed time due to injuries in 2020/21, but the club still earned a play-in spot in the East and has the flexibility to continue upgrading its roster this summer. The Hornets aren’t exactly legit contenders yet, but things in Charlotte don’t look as bleak as they did at this time last year.
The Hornets’ Offseason Plan:
The Hornets will face important decisions on free agent guards Malik Monk and Devonte’ Graham, both of whom are eligible for qualifying offers that would make them restricted FAs. Both Monk and Graham have value, and ideally Charlotte wouldn’t let them get away for nothing, but Ball’s emergence and Terry Rozier‘s impressive performance in 2020/21 have given the team some options. If Monk, for instance, needs to be renounced to open up some cap room, there’s enough backcourt depth on the roster to withstand the loss.
Besides addressing the backcourt, the Hornets will prioritize the center position. Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo are headed to unrestricted free agency, and while it’s possible the club will look to bring one of them back as a reserve on a modest contract, Charlotte will be aiming higher in its search for frontcourt help.
Richaun Holmes, Andre Drummond, and Nerlens Noel are among the players the Hornets could pursue in free agency. The trade market offers some intriguing options as well, including Pacers center Myles Turner, who has frequently been linked to Charlotte and could once again be on the trade block this offseason. Getting a player who can knock down threes like Turner would be great, but the Hornets really just need someone who can protect the basket on defense and be a rim-running partner for Ball on offense.
Rozier and Miles Bridges are the Hornets’ two most notable extension-eligible players. The team’s decision on Rozier may be tied to how Graham’s free agency plays out — if Graham returns, it would cast more uncertainty on Rozier’s long-term future with the franchise. Bridges, meanwhile, looks like a keeper on the wing, and I imagine Charlotte will try to sign him to an extension this offseason if the price is right.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.
Guaranteed Salary
- Gordon Hayward ($29,925,000)
- Terry Rozier ($17,905,263)
- Nicolas Batum ($9,043,478) — Waived via stretch provision.
- LaMelo Ball ($8,231,760)
- Miles Bridges ($5,421,493)
- P.J. Washington ($4,215,120)
- Vernon Carey ($1,517,981)
- Nick Richards ($1,517,981)
- Total: $77,778,076
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Caleb Martin ($1,782,621) 1
- Cody Martin ($1,782,621) 2
- Jalen McDaniels ($1,782,621) 3
- Total: $5,347,863
Restricted Free Agents
Malik Monk ($7,031,451 qualifying offer / $16,037,061 cap hold): Bird rights- Devonte’ Graham ($4,736,102 qualifying offer / $4,736,102 cap hold): Bird rights
- Brad Wanamaker ($2,812,500 qualifying offer / $2,812,500 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $23,585,663
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 11 overall pick ($4,154,400)
- No. 56 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 57 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total: $4,154,400
Extension-Eligible Players
- Miles Bridges (rookie scale)
- Caleb Martin (veteran)
- Cody Martin (veteran)
- Jalen McDaniels (veteran)
- Terry Rozier (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Cody Zeller ($23,123,595): Bird rights
- Bismack Biyombo ($6,650,000): Bird rights
- Total: $29,773,595
Offseason Cap Outlook
The Hornets will likely dip below the cap this offseason, especially if they don’t re-sign Monk, or bring him back on a salary far below his $16MM cap hold.
If Charlotte were to renounce Monk, bring back the three players with non-guaranteed salaries, and account for cap holds for Graham and the No. 11 pick, they could create more than $20MM in cap room. Waiving some of the non-guaranteed money would bump that figure up slightly, while re-signing Monk would cut into it.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $4,910,000 4
Footnotes
- Martin’s salary becomes fully guaranteed at some point in mid-August (exact date TBD).
- Martin’s salary becomes fully guaranteed at some point in mid-August (exact date TBD).
- McDaniels’ salary becomes fully guaranteed at some point this summer (exact date TBD).
- This is a projected value. If the Hornets operate over the cap, they’d have the mid-level exception ($9.5MM) and the bi-annual exception ($3.7MM) available.
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post