It is not unfair to say that, as an organization, the Charlotte Hornets have made some not-so-great decisions over the years.
With blunders such as selecting Adam Morrison with the No. 3 overall pick in 2007 and Cody Zeller with the No. 4 overall pick in 2013, you can’t blame Hornets fans if they have the occasional trust issues.
Even with a string of bad decisions plaguing the franchise (especially in the past fifteen years), the Hornets/Bobcats organization has managed to do some things right. However, those “right” decisions aren’t always clear in the moment, and you don’t always see the gold in the grindstone until the moment has come and gone.
Everybody in the world has decisions they wish they could take back and NBA franchises are no exceptions. Be it trades that were made too soon or restricted free agents who were allowed to walk, these decisions made by NBA front offices can sometimes come back to bite them.
The Hornets, unfortunately, know this feeling all too well.
5 Players the Charlotte Hornets gave up on too soon
5. Caleb Martin
Caleb Martin is currently a steady rotation player for the Miami Heat, but Martin actually spent the first two and a half seasons of his career in the Charlotte Hornets organization.
Martin went undrafted in 2019 but was quickly picked up by the Hornets as an undrafted free agent, following his brother, Cody, who had been selected in the second round.
Martin was a solid role player off the bench, averaging roughly 5.5 points per game on a respectable field goal percentage inside and beyond the arc. While he was capable of filling up the stat sheet as a scorer on any given night, his bread and butter was defensive intensity. He touted a defensive rating around 113 during his time in Charlotte according to StatMuse.
Martin was released mid-season in August of 2021, reportedly because of the free agent signing of Kelly Oubre Jr. He was picked up by the Heat shortly thereafter where he remains to this day as a solid rotation player. With his hard-nosed playing style, he consistently touts one of the best plus-minus ratings on the team.
While Oubre Jr. has been solid in his time in Charlotte, the Hornets’ front office has to wonder what might have been had they kept Martin in the same rotation .
4. Jared Dudley
Jared Dudley was drafted 22nd overall by (the then) Charlotte Bobcats in the 2007 NBA draft. Dudley turned out to be a productive, 3&D role player stringing together a successful 14-year NBA career. However, his time in Charlotte only lasted a year and a half.
Dudley found his way into the Bobcats’ rotation almost immediately, and didn’t take long to become a key contributor. He made his first start in November of the 2007 season and didn’t look back from there, frequently trading off between playing the three and the four.
While Dudley didn’t light up any stat sheets (he only averaged 5.6 ppg in his one and half seasons) he certainly showed flashes of the scrappy role player he was capable of being.
Dudley was traded at the 2008 trade deadline to the Phoenix Suns in a trade involving Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Sean Singletary. The Boston College product became a key piece on a Suns team that even made a run to the Western Conference Finals in the 2010 season.
Most importantly, every single season as a member of the Suns, Dudley hovered around the 40 percent mark from three (and some seasons even higher) which made him a viable asset that was hard to keep off the floor.
That high level play carried with him for the rest of his career and he was a sought after “3 & D” wing until his retirement in August of 2021.
For a Bobcats organization that struggled with woefully inadequate shooting during their time under that moniker, they would have absolutely benefitted from a shooter of Dudley’s caliber.
3. Brad Miller
Future All-Star Brad Miller was signed to the Charlotte Hornets as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played two seasons in Charlotte and showed incredible flashes of the player he would become with 25 and 32 point games that showcased his incredible efficiency. However, with limited minutes, it was hard for him to find a consistent rhythm for a full season.
He signed with the Bulls in 2000, but it wasn’t until his next stop with the Pacers where he truly found himself as a player. In his singular season in Indiana, he averaged 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. His performance that season led to his first All-Star selection.
He later made an even bigger name for himself during six seasons with the Sacramento Kings where he made another All-Star team and had the most productive seasons of his career in minutes, points, and rebounds per game.
Miller was one of the first (of the now common) big men with reliable three point strokes and impeccable court vision. With the benefit of hindsight, the Hornets organization has to wish they had kept him in teal and white for more than two years.
2. Ricky Davis
Ricky Davis played two seasons in Charlotte after being drafted 21st overall in the 1998 NBA draft. Davis was a high-energy player off the bench, who brought a sense of excitement to every game he played thanks to his high-flying tendencies.
While Davis played hard and brought loads of energy, he had a hard time finding his way onto the court for the Hornets. During his short time in Charlotte, he never averaged more than twelve minutes per game.
He was traded to Miami in a massive nine-player trade involving Anthony Mason in August of 2000. However, that wasn’t where he blossomed.
Davis spent the rest of his career bouncing around franchises such as Cleveland, Toronto, and Boston where he found a more prominent role than he had in Charlotte. He averaged around 15 ppg for the rest of his career and even had seasons where he averaged as high as 19 ppg.
Davis did, however, have a problem with selfishness that plagued him during his time in the NBA. He found himself involved in a stat-padding controversy during his time in Cleveland and that reputation never seemed to ease for the rest of his career.
While those accusations may allow Charlotte to not lose any sleep over their decision, they must feel some sense of regret for letting go of a potential scorer with an exciting style of play who could’ve sold tickets.
1. Malik Monk
Malik Monk is currently balling out in the playoffs as a member of the Sacramento Kings, but not too long ago, he was a key (however frustrating) piece for the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets.
The Kentucky product was selected No. 11 overall by Charlotte in the 2017 NBA draft. Monk’s play was mired with inconsistency during his four seasons donning the teal and white; however, he did show flashes of the incredible offensive asset he was capable of being.
His microwave scoring ability led to many ridiculous games where he would go for as many as thirty on any given night. Unfortunately, he also had a habit of pulling a disappearing act.
The Hornets allowed Monk to walk in free agency in 2021, and at the time, it didn’t seem like the worst move. While he had the noted issues with consistency, he also struggled mightily with availability.
Even in his fourth year where he seemed to truly be making the leap, he was still only able to play 42 games. He also missed time because of a violation of the NBA’s anti-doping policy and lingering ankle issues that rightfully caused concerns.
While there is no guarantee that Monk would’ve become the player that he is now had he stayed in Charlotte, the front office is surely kicking themselves now. Hindsight is 20/20, but Hornets fans can only dream of the monster games Monk could be having running alongside LaMelo Ball.
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