Charlotte Hornets: Three Under-the-Radar Free Agents to Pursue

With a return date for NBA basketball not in sight and the Hornets facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs, it may be time to start looking towards the offseason. In a deep free-agent class, here are three undervalued players who could make a difference for Buzz City.

It is arguable that this offseason will be a quite pivotal one for the Charlotte Hornets. With a lottery pick looking likely and some cap space to play around with, this free agency period could make the difference between a return to mediocrity or a playoff appearance.

With a large loss of revenue looming as a result of the league’s shutdown, it’s difficult to imagine where the salary cap will be set at heading into next season. However, one thing that is for certain is that Bismack Biyombo’s albatross contract will finally come off the books. A few minimum expiring salaries should leave the Hornets with some wiggle room on the open market.

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This summer’s free-agent class will largely be dictated by a myriad of player options. Stars such as DeMar DeRozan and Anthony Davis should look to opt-out and take advantage of increase money and long term assurance. Nicolas Batum and Gordon Hayward, on the other hand, should know that they will not receive an offer larger than their player options on the open market.

Charlotte should be praying for a majority of players to opt-out. This would concentrate the team’s money around max-level free agents and leave many ‘diamond in the rough’ type players available with little competition. Being located in a market that doesn’t typically attract stars makes it imperative for the front office to find talent where no one is looking.

“There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then, there’s 50 feet of crap. And then there’s us.” – Billy Beane, Moneyball, 2011.

On that dramatic note, we should consider the Hornets above that ’50 feet of crap,’ at least. Here are three players who could potentially be Charlotte’s equivalent of Scott Hatterberg or David Justice.