Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets outplaying their contract, Kemba Walker’s market value
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
The Queen City team wasted a 41-point performance from Kemba Walker as they suffered one of their worst losses of the season at home against the Dallas Mavericks. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ players who are outperforming their contracts, Kemba Walker’s trade market value and the Greensboro Swarm falling to the Agua Caliente Clippers at the G-League Showcase.
Hornets’ players outperforming their contract (DefPen.com)
"Kemba Walker is on the most team-friendly deal in the NBA. He is making just $12 million for this season and next season while being a borderline top-10 point guard in the league. This season, he is averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game."
Kemba Walker might be the best value in the NBA. He is 20th in the league in scoring but is only the 97th highest paid player in the NBA. Three other players who outplaying their current deals for the Hornets are Jeremy Lamb (14.4 PPG/ $7M), Frank Kaminsky (10.9 PPG/ $2.8M) and Treveon Graham (5.3 PPG/ $1.3M).
Three players for Charlotte who are underperforming their current salaries are Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Although, I will admit that MKG has been pretty consistent this season. As for Marvin, he is only averaging 9.1 PPG and is the third highest paid player on the team. Nic has by far been the most over-paid though. He’s making over $22 million and is only averaging 10 PPG.
Kemba Walker’s market value (BleacherReport.com)
"If Charlotte is going to trade Walker, it needs to get back a haul. And while accepting Noah’s unfortunate salary isn’t ideal, a top-tier prospect (Ntilikina), another first-round pick and the chance to move higher up in the 2018 pecking order without Walker keeping the squad afloat should do the trick."
Kemba is a legit star-level player in this league. He is a top-10 point guard and is the face of the Hornets’ franchise. If Charlotte is going to deal their best player, they will need to get a huge return. The only problem is that they don’t have a lot of leverage but still, a young prospect and a first-round pick should be the bare minimum for a potential trade.
While getting a first round pick and a promising prospect in Frank Ntilikina is a start, I don’t think it’s the best scenario for Charlotte. Having to take on Joakim Noah‘s massive contract is not the route the Hornets should be taking. Trade offers will be heading the team’s way as the trade deadline draws near. If I’m Rich Cho, I’d rather lose Walker in free agency after next season/hope to re-sign him at the end of his deal rather than trade him for a less than ideal return.
Bacon and Greensboro fall to Agua Caliente, 98-86 (Gleague.NBA.com)
"The Agua Caliente Clippers (14-12) cut down the Greensboro Swarm (8-17) 98-86 in Game 4 of the NBA G League Showcase. The contest saw 11 lead changes and 12 ties, and the teams entered the half 51-50 in favor of Greensboro. But the Clippers would pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Swarm 25-12 and forcing four turnovers."
Next: Hornets fully guarantee Graham's contract
Hornets’ assignee Dwayne Bacon only managed to put up 10 points on 5-15 shooting for the Swarm in his return to the G-League. That’s a far cry from his 45-point performance just a couple weeks ago. He’ll have a chance to redeem himself at the G-League Showcase as Greensboro will look to bounce back against the Texas Legends in a game that will be broadcasted on ESPNU.