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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ offseason scenario, International prospects

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 10, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) dribbles the ball up the floor during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky won 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) dribbles the ball up the floor during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky won 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-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.

Rumors are heating up prior to the 2017 NBA Draft as multiple teams are looking to move up or trade for star players. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at an offseason scenario for the Charlotte Hornets, potential international prospects and the team met with J.J. Frazier at Portsmouth Invitational.

Hornets’ offseason options (FanSided.com)

"In the scenario above, the Hornets use their exceptions and end up slightly above the tax, but they would still have three non-guaranteed contracts to cut to get back under the tax threshold before the end of the season."

In the scenario that the article lays out, Charlotte declines Ramon Sessions team option to free up some cap space and a roster spot. With the money, they add a wing player (Let’s say Shabazz Muhammad) for three years with their Mid-Level Exception and a backup point guard (Let’s say Darren Collison or MCW) with their Bi-annual Exception for two years. They would also retain Johnny O’Bryant, Briante Weber and Treveon Graham in this scenario.

If you include their second round pick, that would put the Hornets’ roster at 16 players. That’s one over the max of 15. That means that they would have to get rid of either O’Bryant, Weber, Graham or their second round pick. Still, this is the most likely scenario as it doesn’t seem like Sessions’ team option will be accepted.

Potential international prospects (NBA.com)

"The 2017 NBA Draft is once again full of intriguing, international prospects who could become difference-makers in the league with the right amount of development and exposure. The following list highlights some of the best such players available, provided they did not compete for a NCAA program this past season."

Frank Ntilikina and Terrance Ferguson are the two top international prospects. Even though there is a lot of hype and intrigue surrounding both of them, there is also a lot of mystery. No matter their upside and potential, it’s hard to overlook the fact that Frank only averaged 5.3 points while Terrance only put up 4.6 PPG. Still, there is still a good chance that each can be great/good NBA players.

Luckily for the Hornets, there are plenty of international talents who will fall to the second round. Sam Perley laid out a number of those potential second round players in the article. Also, Here’s a list of potential draft and stash prospects Charlotte should take a look at.

Charlotte met with J.J. Frazier at Portsmouth Invitational in May  (Macon.com)

"At the Portsmouth Invitational and at a pre-combine event at IMG Academy, Frazier also met with representatives from the Charlotte Hornets"

Next: Hornets 'locked in on' Kennard or Mitchell

Frazier is a 5’10 point guard prospect who averaged 19.2 points per game during his senior year at Georgia. At the Portsmouth Invitational, the player not only met with the Hornets but five other teams as well. Despite DraftExpress projecting him to go undrafted, he received plenty of interest as he worked out with seven NBA teams prior to the draft. Although Charlotte didn’t bring him in, he could be an option for them as an undrafted free agent.

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