Swarm and Sting
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Is it time for the Charlotte Hornets to start over and rebuild?

By Elijah Edwards

SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 2: The Charlotte Hornets line up for the national anthem of the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 2, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 2: The Charlotte Hornets line up for the national anthem of the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 2, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With the firings of GM Rich Cho, head coach Steve Clifford, and the entire coaching staff, it’s already been a tumultuous offseason for the Charlotte Hornets. Is a mass exodus on the horizon for the players as well?

The NBA can be a fickle beast. As long as you’re winning, everything is copacetic. If you’re not winning, however, that’s where things like loyalty and promises get tested. Such is the case for the Charlotte Hornets, who have missed the playoffs three out of the last four seasons. That leads us to our current situation, where we have a new GM and are currently looking for a new head coach.

So, what does this mean for the players? It’s hard to say at this point, but I have a sinking feeling that much of this roster will be wearing different uniforms come next season. But should the organization even go that route?

This is purely my opinion, but blowing up a team usually only seems fit if a team has had recent success and either needs to dump contracts that have gotten too bloated or the key players have regressed or gotten old. Neither of those scenarios necessarily fit Charlotte. We have our share of bloated contracts, sure, but outside of managing those via trades, what else can we do?

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To say the Charlotte Hornets in a tough situation salary cap wise is a vast understatement.

Outside of Kemba Walker, we don’t have much trade value. And no, I don’t think we should trade him unless we absolutely have to.

Obviously, Nicolas Batum‘s contract needs to be dealt with. Finding a team willing to take on that burden is going to be difficult. That means we’ll have to package a few players and/or a draft pick.

Unfortunately, though, it probably won’t be any other problematic contracts like say, Marvin Williams or Dwight Howard, as very few teams can take on that combination of salaries. Those two are set to make a combined $38 million next season. Yes, as much as Howard improved our rebounding, I think his contract is just too much to bear.

If we decide to keep Kemba and want to re-sign him, we’re going to need cap space. I fully expect Kemba to ask for at least twice what he’s making now when his contract is up, which would be $24 million a year. So, a series of trades is almost certain.

Overall, I think if we can move Batum, Howard, and another bad contract or two, we should be fine with what we have left. Adding through free agency and the draft will help as well. Will it be a playoff caliber team? Hard to say, but we all thought this current team was capable of making the playoffs. We know how that worked out.

Then again, if Mitch Kupchak wants to really start over, then it is indeed time to clean house. That means trading Kemba. He shouldn’t be subjected to yet another rebuilding process. He deserves to be on a playoff team, even if that team isn’t the Hornets. I feel most fans would reluctantly agree, though it would be very disheartening.

Will starting over alienate even more fans?

Speaking of the fans, what does this mean for them? Will they put up with yet another span of mediocrity in the hopes that our day will come? The team already has a hard enough time filling seats. I doubt fans would want to sit through even more losing seasons. Then again, it worked for the 76ers and with Kupchak, we could see something similar. The keyword there, of course, is “could.”

Next: Re-picking the Hornets last five drafts

Some would argue that this current team is one or two moves away from achieving continued success. Personally, I’m more in that camp, but I can definitely see a case for starting over. Management has already cleaned house in the coaching department. Will they follow suit with the roster as well? No one truly knows. What we do know, however, is it’s going to be a very interesting summer for the Charlotte Hornets.

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