4 Charlotte Hornets who may not be back next season

2. Kelly Oubre

Kelly Oubre was the Charlotte Hornets’ second-best player in 2022-23. With a host of younger players entering the fold, Oubre’s scoring ability was unleashed in a big way and he averaged a career-high 20.3 points per game.

While he is a bit of a bad shot-taker, Kelly can also be a bad shot-maker. When he is feeling it, there are not many better heat-check players in the NBA. His 32% mark from deep is a bit underwhelming, but Hornets fans know they would never have to ask him to keep shooting the ball.

The increasing likelihood of Charlotte moving on from Oubre is not rooted so much in his on-court production from this past season as it is in their changing roster needs. The Hornets shipped off several veteran pieces at the trade deadline in February to free up playing time for younger players and to improve their lottery odds.

This summer Kelly Oubre will become an unrestricted free agent. Next season, he will carry a cap hit north of $16 million. The Hornets’ decision to keep him around or not will simply depend on whether they believe certain younger players will be enough to replace his production. With rumors of the team wanting to select Brandon Miller with the second pick, his fate may already be sealed.