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Buzz City Beat: Kemba still lacks a supporting cast, Should the Hornets target Alex Len?

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 1, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Alex Len (21) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) in the second half at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated the Suns 126-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Alex Len (21) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) in the second half at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated the Suns 126-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

The biggest recent rumor from around the NBA is the New York Knicks willingness to trade for Ricky Rubio this summer. (ESPN.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Kemba Walker still lacking a supporting cast, the Charlotte Hornets targeting Alex Len in free agency and a potential blockbuster deal for Jahlil Okafor.

Kemba Walker still lacks a supporting cast (TheSportsBlaze.com)

"The scoring totals dropped off massively for the Hornets after Walker with the next highest scorer being Nicolas Batum at 14.9 points per game. Then after that came Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with only 12.7 points per game."

Not only do the Hornets lack scoring but they are also without a true secondary scoring option behind Walker. Nicolas Batum was supposed to fill that role but it’s becoming more clear that he is a third option rather than a second. The problem for Charlotte is that this isn’t an easy fix.

It’s difficult to find a consistent 20+ or even 17+ point per game scorer in the NBA. They don’t have enough money to sign one in free agency and their draft pick isn’t high enough to grab a prospect who could immediately average that much. It’s clear that if they want to get back to the postseason and actually compete in the East, Charlotte will need to add more scoring to partner with Kemba and help him out on the offensive end.

Should the Hornets target Alex Len in free agency? (FanRagSports.com)

"One possible candidate is Alex Len, going into his fourth season. He averaged 3.3 screen assists last year. He’s not a “bust” but he is a disappointment. The Phoenix Suns might not be interested in getting into a bidding war over him."

The 23-year old center is set to hit the restricted free agent market this offseason. Although he only averaged 8.0 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game, Len would be a good backup option to Cody Zeller on Charlotte’s bench. Miles Plumlee hasn’t proven himself to be a valuable member of the team and Rich Cho has already admitted that they would like to add a rim protector. While that’s not Alex’s strong suit, he did average 1.3 blocks this past season.

I think Len would easily be an upgrade over Plumlee but the problem there would be that the Hornets would have to trade Miles to not only dump his massive contract but also to open up the rotation. Even though the 7’1 center hasn’t lived up to being a top-five pick, he has made some solid progress and Charlotte may be able to grab him this summer with their Mid-Level Exception.

Making a blockbuster deal for Jahlil Okafor (TheSixerSense.com)

"The primary motivation for Charlotte is to shed salary to pursue Blake Griffin in free agency. Batum and Zeller will combine for $37 Million in next years salary. This makes them an intriguing potential partner."

Next: How the Hornets can become contenders by 2019

It would be quite the trade if Charlotte moved Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller for Okafor and the 36th overall pick in this year’s draft. While it would give the Hornets a young big man, another draft pick and a chance to sign Blake Griffin this summer, it might not be the ideal move because it would give them a plethora of big men and limited creativity on the wing.

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