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Charlotte Hornets: Rich Cho Has His Work Cut Out for Him

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 26, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; A basketball lays on the court during a timeout in the game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Suns 120-106. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; A basketball lays on the court during a timeout in the game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Suns 120-106. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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This will be an important offseason for the Charlotte Hornets and all eyes are on Rich Cho to make moves that will help the team get back into the playoffs.

With limited cap space, it won’t be easy for the Charlotte Hornets to improve their roster. Luckily for them, they have a lottery draft pick and a general manager who has been known to make some semi-blockbuster deals in the past. For the team to get out of mediocrity and back into the postseason, Rich Cho will need to work his magic this summer.

Charlotte’s cap situation is tricky. If they do every possible move like declining Ramon Sessions‘ team option, don’t re-sign Brian Roberts and renounce the rights to Johnny O’Bryant, Treveon Graham, Briante Weber and Christian Wood (which they shouldn’t because they are all on extremely cheap deals), the Hornets will be at around $101.9 million in guaranteed contracts. That is the best case scenario. (Spotrac.com)

Considering that the projected cap for NBA teams next year will be around $101-102 million, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for the team. (BleacherReport.com) Despite these figures, there will be some moves for the Hornets to make like using their mid-level exception in free agency. They will be able to use that, even if they are over the salary cap, to sign a free agent. While it won’t be a superstar type player, Charlotte can grab a solid contributor with that.

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Still, Rich Cho has his work cut out for him as he needs to find a way to not only create flexibility and cap space but also make the right moves with that cap space. The Hornets can’t afford to miss on their free agent signings like they did with Roy Hibbert and Ramon Sessions. They need home runs like they had with Jeremy Lin two years ago.

The draft is a whole different story for Charlotte. They have repeatedly missed with their picks over the past decade or so. That can’t happen this time around. They need to grab a great player with their (likely late) lottery selection. They don’t need another decent player through the draft, they need to find a steal with upside that could become a top three player on their roster to pair with Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum.

Rich Cho has a history of making trades. Good and bad. The Nicolas Batum deal a couple years back was one of the good ones. It was a high-risk, high-reward move and it has paid off for the Hornets. As fort he Miles Plumlee trade, that was one of the worst ones as it crippled Charlotte’s flexibility going forward. You can bet that the team will make at least one trade this summer whether it be big or small, it just needs to either improve the team or create cap space.

Next: Hornets to Target Rim Protector and Backup PG

This is one of the most important offseason in recent memory for the Charlotte Hornets as they look to rebound from a disappointing year. It won’t be easy for Rich Cho but the pressure is on as he is likely fighting to keep his job. The team needs just about every move they make this summer to pan out.

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