Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Stretch provision a possibility for Bismack Biyombo?

Going into a big off-season, the Charlotte Hornets could look to stretch Bismack Biyombo’s $17 million salary if they wish to create some extra cap space.

Many fans will disagree about what the Charlotte Hornets should do to ensure their future, but one thing that fans can all agree on is the fact that Charlotte is riddled with horrendous contracts, but they might be able to get off one of those contracts.

According to Rod Boone of The Athletic (subscription required), one option for the Hornets this summer would be using the stretch provision on Bismack Biyombo, which could open up over $11 million in cap space.

In case you are unaware about what exactly the stretch provision is, it allows a team to spread out a players cap hit over the course of multiple seasons. Kyle Singler, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng are all recent players that experienced this.

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Charlotte will have between July 1st and August 31st to make a decision on Biyombo. Using the stretch provision on him is certainly a legit option, especially if they can’t trade him, which remains unlikely at this point.

The Hornets are going to do whatever it takes to upgrade the roster around Kemba Walker. Walker is now eligible for a five-year, $221 million deal, and it’s hard to imagine him turning down that amount of money, if the Hornets do indeed offer him.

Walker will, of course, draw a ton of interest from others teams during free agency. Expect teams such as the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers to be hot on his trail.

Biyombo served as a solid third-string center for the Hornets throughout the 2018-19 season, but he isn’t worth his $17 million salary. Still, it’s nice to have a guy like him on the roster, but the team could very well move on from him this summer.

The 26 year old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo averaged 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes for the Hornets this past season. This is his second stint with the team, as he had spent the first four years of his career in Charlotte.

Biyombo isn’t the only player on the Hornets with a bloated salary, so I would expect them to be very active on the trade marker as we inch closer to free agency, which begins on June 30th.

The Charlotte Hornets, obviously, have quite a lot on their plate going into the off-season. While Kemba Walker will get most of the attention, deciding what to do with players such as Biyombo will also be important.

Fans around the league will be looking forward to another drama-filled summer in the NBA.