The Charlotte Hornets will likely be active during the free agency period, which begins on June 30 at 6 PM Eastern. For Charlotte and multiple other team’s around the league, free agency provides a platform to continue building out your roster as you look to improve on the performances of recent seasons.
Improving the Hornets’ offense shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, we’re talking about a team that finished dead last in offensive rating last season while being nothing better than a middling defensive team. However, not every move will happen within the opening hours of free agency. Players will want to weigh their options while teams will be carrying out their due diligence.
Having a plan is smart, though. Knowing who you’re going to target allows you to get off on the right foot. Being one of the first teams to reach out to a player shows that you’re interest is genuine and that they sit atop your ideal candidates.
There’s also work to be done closer to home. You can begin discussing potential contract terms with impending free agents and weighing up potential additions via sign-and-trades or extend-and-trade so that you don’t risk losing players for nothing.
Will all this being said, here are three things the Hornets should do as soon as the free agency period gets underway.
#1 Charlotte Hornets extend PJ Washington a qualifying offer
By extending PJ Washington a qualifying offer, he will become a restricted free agent, giving the Charlotte Hornets rights to a first refusal on any contract offer he signs elsewhere. Washington has developed his game since being drafted 12th overall in 2019.
This past season, Washington became a full-time starter for the Hornets, playing in 73 regular-season games. During those outings, the Kentucky native averaged 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 44.4% from the field and 34.8% from deep.
Ensuring Washington has the ability to match any offer sheet Washington signs is smart business from the front office and will likely be the first task on their to-do list once the free agency period gets underway. After all, it would be negligent not to at least maintain some form of team control over a homegrown talent that continues to improve.
#2 Charlotte Hornets reach out to Dillon Brooks
Every NBA teams needs a player who brings grit to the rotation. Dillon Brooks might not be the most popular player in the NBA, but his methods are a necessary evil. For Charlotte, adding a wing who can provide an offensive punch, and help add a competitive edge to the rotation, makes total sense.
Brooks isn’t the most complete offensive player. Nor is Brooks an elite defender. Instead, he brings a league-average approach to his game, which he then amplifies with his fierce competitivness and desire to win. The Hornets are a young team. Brooks has developed on the Memphis Grizzlies – a young team who expidited their development through a consensus desire to improve and compete at the highest level.
After being informed that he won’t be returning to the Grizzlies next season, Charlotte could look to entice Brooks with the full Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, and a promise of consistent playing time alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. If Brooks is looking to rebuild some value around the NBA, and build a reputation as a culture setter, there is no better place for him to do that than in Charlotte.
#3 Charlotte Hornets waive goodbye to Kelly Oubre Jr.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was among the Charlotte Hornets best players last season. However, the injry bug hit the 27-year-old hard, limiting him to just 48 regular-season games. This isn’t the first time Oubre Jr. has missed a significant portion of the season, in fact, in the three years prior to him joning Charlotte, Oubre Jr. struggled to get near 60 games played.
Considering the contract the Oubre Jr. will likely command, it may be in Charlotte’s best interest to say goodbye in free agency. While there’s no doubting Oubre Jr’s skill, his inability to string together healthy seasons has to be a red flag that makes the Hornets stop and think before extending a deal during the summer.
If Mitch Kupchak wants to build a contending team, his best players need to be on the floor. I get it, injuries are inevitable. However, a consistent theme of missing more that 25% of a season is more than a stroke of bad luck – it’s a trend.
Gordon Hayward has suffered a similar fate since breaking his leg in his first game for the Boston Celtics, and the Hornets’ have never seen a prolonged stretch of Hayward’s best basketball since he joined the franchise.
Allowing Oubre Jr. to leave without a fight won’t be a popular decision among the fanbase – that’s why Kupchak is paid the big bucks, because sometimes the right decision isn’t the easiest one to make.