After a disappointing 2022-23 season, the Charlotte Hornets have a lot of decisions to make between now October. A team that seemed to be on the brink of becoming a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference suddenly regressed back to a lottery team due to a multitude of factors, and changes are bound to be made.
Of course, the front office will be looking at player contracts, free agents and draft prospects to decide who is best fit to help them succeed going forward. In doing so, they will also be evaluating who from the current roster should stay around in the long-term and who should be shown the door.
There were certainly multiple players that proved themselves as worthy candidates to remain with the Hornets for the long haul over the course of this past season. But on the flip side, a few players made it clear that they will likely not be in Charlotte past this summer.
Here are 4 Charlotte Hornets who may not be back next season:
1. Dennis Smith Jr.
Signing with the Hornets in September 2022, Dennis Smith Jr. was a late addition to Charlotte’s roster before the season began. While many thought the team would re-sign Isaiah Thomas to act as backup point guard in 2022-23, the Hornets surprised everyone by bringing on Dennis Smith.
Before the season DSJ was looked at as something of a reclamation project. He had not played over 20 minutes per game since the 2018-19 season, and his deal with the Hornets seemed to represent a last chance of sorts.
While Dennis was far from spectacular, he exceeded expectations in the eyes of many. With LaMelo Ball missing 46 games last season, Smith was given a larger role than expected and played 25 minutes per contest over 54 games with Charlotte.
With his one-year contract expiring this summer, it is unlikely the Hornets will choose to re-sign Dennis Smith to a new deal. He may be a local favorite after playing in college at nearby NC State, but there are better options for a backup point guard for management to consider.
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.
3. Svi Mykhailiuk
Playing on his sixth NBA team in the last five seasons, Svi Mykhailiuk joined the Charlotte Hornets for the final 19 games of the 2022-23 season, earning eight starts. In less than two dozen games, he played some of the best basketball of his career.
Svi showed his value as a three-and-D wing in knocking down over 40% of his shots from behind the arc in Charlotte while bringing a constant presence on the defensive end. In the final week of the regular season, he scored 25 points or more on two occasions, showcasing his improvement as a scorer.
Another player who looked to be on his way out of the league prior to his stint with the Hornets, Svi may have very well earned himself a new NBA contract in the final eight weeks of the regular season. The Hornets saw how he fit with their current group, so it may be worth it to sign him to a team-friendly deal as a reserve.
But in the event the team opts to move on, they will be selling high on a player who in all likelihood will never be better than he is right now. There is a solid chance we have seen the last of Svi in a Hornets uniform.
4. Gordon Hayward
And now, for the player everyone was waiting for. What better candidate is there to begin next season somewhere besides Charlotte than Gordon Hayward? The 13-year league veteran’s three years with the franchise have not really gone according to plan, with his numbers falling each season and a handful of nagging injuries beginning to add up.
In 2022-23, Gordon finally reached 50 games played in a season for the first time since the 2019-20 season when he suited up with the Boston Celtics. His injuries have unfortunately been one of the main storylines of his career in the last several years, with a shoulder injury causing him to miss a large chunk of this past season.
When he is on the floor, Hayward still brings solid production but he does appear to be gradually declining. His scoring prowess is not what it used to be, and his efficiency is suffering. There is growing frustration from the Hornets’ fanbase around him and many feel that the team should move on this summer.
Gordon is still under contract in Charlotte for the 2023-24 season and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the Hornets can find a suitor, they may try to execute a sign-and-trade before the start of next season. Otherwise, they will likely try to flip his expiring contract to a contender at next year’s trade deadline.