With Conclusion of the 2019-20 Season, What’s Next for the Charlotte Hornets?

Charlotte Hornets Condensed Roster

Only one big-money contract likely remains on the Hornets’ books if unproductive veteran Nic Batum decides to opt into his $27.1 million player option (spoiler alert: he will. That’s a lot of money to cosplay as an NBA player for a few months).

With that in mind, it doesn’t seem wise to stretch his money—he could be an asset used to match a large incoming contract for a team looking to clear cap space in exchange for draft picks. If the young Hornets continue to exceed expectations, that space might also allow the team to search for quality players in the loaded 2021 free agency class.

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Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this condensed timeline for young teams that didn’t qualify to play in the Orlando Bubble like the Hornets is the most simple to understand—22 of the league’s teams had the opportunity for a month of additional practice at Disney’s Wide World of Sports facilities. The teams that made the playoffs got several more months of practice time. Since March of this year, the Hornets have had two weeks.

That fact alone would put even an experienced unit with a lot of court time together at a considerable disadvantage. For a team like Charlotte that experimented with lineups, defenses, and positions, and that played four rookies and featured four players in their first regular starting roles, it’s devastating.

By Mitch Kupchak’s estimation, it could mean as much as an entire year of development lost (though this statement could have been posturing to pressure the NBA into allowing team workouts, or Mitch positioning himself ahead of the outrage if the team underperforms in the upcoming season. Either way, it should be taken with a grain of salt).

Even with a condensed timeline, I think it’s likely the NBA slots out a full, three-week preseason training camp. Excluding the draft and any preseason trades, this will be the most critical juncture for the Hornets, and it will go a long way in determining what awaits the team as it’s constructed in the coming season and beyond.