In today’s exit interview, Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams announced that he will be opt-in to his contract and return next season.
Well, this was kind of a no-brainer for Marvin Williams. The 14-year veteran will be returning to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2019-20 season, as he will opt-in to his $15 million player option.
If Williams were to opt-out of his contract and enter free agency, he would certainly not get a contract worth that much, so he’s going to take the money and stay with the team that he is familiar with.
“I’ll be back. If they’ll have me back, anyway.” Williams said during his exit interview. Short and sweet, right? He also added that he has no plans on retiring and is looking forward to his 15th season in the NBA.
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I don’t think it’s a very bad price for Williams. He’s an important piece to the Hornets. He started in every game that he played this season, and shot 37 percent from three-point land. He’s a solid contributor at the power forward spot.
On the season, Williams averaged a solid 10.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Charlotte Hornets.
Williams missed the final five games of the season after suffering a foot injury against the Jazz on April 1st. The Hornets certainly missed his veteran presence down the stretch, but they did get great contributions from Frank Kaminsky while he was out.
In the month of April, Kaminsky averaged 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. He stepped up big time with Williams out and played a key factor in the Hornets almost getting into the playoffs.
He also gave a lot of praise to his teammates during his exit interview. Most notably, he wants Kemba Walker to be “happy” with his free agency decision and said that he “couldn’t be more happy” for the young players who stepped up late in the season.
Williams is undoubtedly a great teammate, and a solid player for this Hornets team. It’s unclear what his role will be on next years team, but he’ll be a good guy to have around regardless.
The big question mark surrounding the Charlotte Hornets is whether or not Kemba Walker will be back next season. His free agency could change the direction of the franchise, but I am sure that the franchise is happy to hear that Williams will be coming back for another season.
Charlotte may not be in the playoffs, but there’s still a lot going on with this team at the moment.