What improvements can the Charlotte Hornets make this offseason?
By Laieke Abebe
With the changes that need to be made, what can the Charlotte Hornets do this offseason to improve for next season?
Kemba Walker followed up a career year with yet another stellar season. In addition to that, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made minor improvements to his game this past season. Although, some Charlotte Hornets‘ players, like Nicolas Batum, didn’t live up to their big contracts from last summer.
Despite all of that, there were also some questionable decisions made over the course of the season that cost this Hornets team dearly. With that in mind, what can this team do to improve and return to the playoffs next season?
First things first, the team has to re-write the wrong that they made near the trade deadline. The Miles Plumlee deal handicapped the team’s cap situation. Now, the team has to pay someone who scored 113 points ALL SEASON $12.4 million.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
If the team can somehow swing a deal with another to get rid of Plumlee’s contract, it would really help. The Hornets would have to get back a few expiring deals so that the cap flexibility improves significantly.
Secondly, the team has to find their backup point guard. They might not have to look far as they signed Briante Weber after Ramon Sessions went down with a knee injury. However, they will need more depth there as Brian Robert and Sessions are free agents this summer.
The good thing about this free agent class is there are some high-quality backup point guards available. Names like Shaun Livingston, who once played in Charlotte, and Patty Mills are the top names on the market.
Overall, the Charlotte Hornets need to get back to the things that got them to the playoffs in the first place. This includes attention to detail on defense and shooting the ball well. Both of those things didn’t happen in 2017.
Next: Season Grade: Nicolas Batum
Also, the late-game execution on both sides of the ball has to be better. Kemba Walker can’t be the only offense in the fourth quarter. Others like Batum have to step up next year. These among other things could get the Hornets back to where they want to be and that is the playoffs.