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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets Need to Make Tweaks, Three Wishes in Free Agency

By Jerry Stephens

Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Nicolas Batum (5) looks to pass the ball as he is defended by Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Nicolas Batum (5) looks to pass the ball as he is defended by Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

The Toronto Raptors will be looking to advance past the Milwaukee Bucks with a win tonight while the San Antonio Spurs will attempt to do the same against the Memphis Grizzlies. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the tweaks the Charlotte Hornets need to make, three wishes in free agency and taking a chance on Festus Ezeli.

Summer Agenda: Hornets Need to Make Tweaks (Sports.Yahoo.com)

"Charlotte does not need to make drastic changes to a roster that won 46 games a year ago and returned most of the players from that team. Starting with the draft and into free agency, Charlotte needs to make positive tweaks but not blow up the roster or risk future assets for a short-term approach."

Instead of making any risky blockbuster deals, Charlotte should be looking to make small, positive moves this offseason. They were a borderline playoff team this past season as they were only a few close results away from making the postseason in the Eastern Conference. By making small tweaks, the Hornets should be right back in the playoff next year.

Getting back to basics is the first point made by Bobby Marks in this article. That means reestablishing the team’s defensive identity that wavered this past season. Improving from within and getting back to their winning ways of the 2015-16 season is what the Charlotte Hornets need to focus on. They don’t have a lot of money to spend this offseason so improving from within is vital to their success.

Charlotte’s Three Wishes in Free Agency (BleacherReport.com)

"However, the Hornets still won’t have much money to spend, leaving it looking through the dredges of free agency to acquire a legitimate backup 1 and more shooting with which it can surround Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller and the other core pieces."

Backup point guard, trade partners and more bench shooting are the three wishes in free agency for the Hornets this offseason. The team will surely address the backup point guard spot this summer as Rich Cho has already made that clear. That is priority number one. After that, they won’t have a lot of cap space to sign shooters so a trade will probably be their only option to get a quality player.

The article also mentions that Charlotte should be looking to trade Nicolas Batum which is interesting. It says that his massive contract, the years on his deal and his declining game are the reasons that they should be looking to move the veteran swingman. I don’t see that happening, the front office will probably look to build around Kemba Walker and Nic going forward rather than move the man they just gave a $120 million contract to.

Should the Team Take a Chance on Festus Ezeli? (RealGM.com)

"Neil Olshey confirmed that Festus Ezeli will not return to the Portland Trail Blazers next season. Ezeli didn’t appear in any regular season games for the Blazers."

Next: Plumlee Trade Was Worst in NBA

The Hornets could trade for Ezeli but if the Portland Trail Blazers are just going to waive him, then they should wait and sign him to a minimum contract this offseason. It would be a low-risk, high reward move for Charlotte. Festus has proven to be a serviceable backup center in today’s NBA and if he can come back from his knee injuries, then some team will reap the rewards. Maybe the Hornets can take a chance and bring him in to see how he does during training camp and preseason.

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