‘Meh’ to ‘great’: Grading the 3 Hornets’ qualifying offers

On Wednesday, June 28, the Charlotte Hornets extended qualifying offers to P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, and Theo Maledon, as Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer reported. By tenuring the offers, all three players will now be restricted free agents this summer, allowing Charlotte the opportunity to match any offer sheet the players sign this summer.

Washington, Bridges, and Maledon are all at different points in their careers. It does make sense to retain team control of three players who have all shown an ability to impact the game in one way or another. The bigger question is whether the Hornets intend to keep all three guys around or whether some of these decisions are being used as potential negotiating tactics to ensure the player doesn’t leave for nothing.

Rather than bunching the three decisions together and trying to react, we would be better served by looking at each player individually and judging whether or not Charlotte made the right decision.

Hornets extend P.J. Washington a qualifying offer.

Aiming to have some control over P.J. Washington’s free agency is a smart move by Charlotte. Washington is coming off his first full season as a starter, where he proved himself to be a reliable option on both sides of the floor. At 24 years old, Washington still has multiple years of development before reaching his prime and is already showing signs of becoming a reliable perimeter threat who could potentially be an above-average shooter from deep.

Extending a qualifying offer to Washington doesn’t guarantee he’s going to remain in Charlotte, but it does give the Hornets’ front office an opportunity to either retain his services or look for potential sign-and-trade deals. It’s also smart business to retain some team control on one of your best young players.

Charlotte didn’t raise any eyebrows with their decision to make Washington a restricted free agent, but it’s what they choose to do next that counts.

Grade: Good! 

Hornets extend Miles Bridges a qualifying offer.

A potential return to the Hornets for Miles Bridges is certainly a move that will split the fanbase. After missing the entirety of last season due to legal issues surrounding domestic violence, Bridges is set to resume his NBA career in the upcoming season. For Charlotte, they have to decide whether the bad press associated with Bridges is worth the undoubted talent that he brings to their rotation.

Charlotte finished dead last in offensive rating last season. Bridges will bring rim pressure, playmaking, and a reliable off-bal threat both via the catch and the rip-through. Is the talent worth the trade-off, though? That will be a decision the Hornets’ front office needs to make, especially after selecting Brandon Miller in this year’s draft following his own legal issues last season.

From a strictly basketball standpoint, reuniting AirBnB in the backcourt would significantly boost the team’s overall chances of making a push for the postseason. LaMelo Ball and Bridges have a dynamic partnership that will only be strengthened by the addition of Miller. Unfortunately, Bridges’ tenure with the team isn’t just a basketball decision.

There’s no way to gauge what type of interest Bridges will have from around the league. During the 2021-22 season, Bridges played 80 games, averaging 20.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field and 33.1% from deep – those are encouraging numbers for a 25-year-old second option.

If Bridges is going to be returning to the NBA this year, it makes sense that Charlotte would rather he be suiting up for them than somebody else.

Grade: Risky, but makes sense! 

Hornets extend Theo Maledon a qualifying offer.

Last season, Theo Maledon was a two-way player for the Hornets but managed to see the court on 44 occasions. During those outings, Maledon averaged 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, shooting the rock at a 40.2% clip from deep.

Maledon isn’t a three-point threat, though. Nor is Maledon a genuine answer as a rotational guard. Sure, he can give you minutes as the third guard in a rotation, but even then, there will be better options available during the offseason. I get it; Maledon came in with low expectations and exceeded them. That doesn’t mean he needs to stick around.

If Kupchak and the front office want to keep developing the 22-year-old, then a second two-way contract with the franchise makes sense. However, if another team around the league wants to extend a legitimate NBA deal to Maledon and see him as part of their rotation, the Hornets shouldn’t stand in his way.

Yes, Charlotte needs to rebuild their roster around LaMelo. Yes, Maledon fits the age range of players Kupchak is probably looking at. But does he have the upside that’s required? If the coaching staff believes Maledon can develop into a genuine rotation guard, then who are we to judge? However, there will need to be a clear developmental plan in place if Charlotte wants to ensure Maledon doesn’t become anything more than trade filler in the next 12 – 18 months.