Charlotte Hornets lead executive Jeff Peterson has had an uneven first full season leading the team. While the Hornets posted their worst record in over a decade, they were able to build up their draft capital through shrewd moves.
Peterson even displayed his front office acumen by helping facilitate other deals in exchange for draft compensation and getting bountiful returns for their previously expendable veterans. But while there have been plenty of hits during Peterson's regime, there have also been some misses, which is perfectly understandable.
Still, drafting Tidjane Salaun, the rationale of which was commendable to be fair, was a missed opportunity for Charlotte to bring in game-changing talent. And while Peterson deserves praise for finding someone like Moussa Diabate in free agency, he also whiffed on the addition of Josh Green with the intent of making him a starter. The other roster pieces have also failed to produce satisfactorily, although the revolving door of healthy bodies may have been a huge factor.
Jeff Peterson wants to try to compete for the playoffs next season
Hopefully, the 35-year-old executive has learned his lesson on how to run an NBA club successfully. He should have, especially after setting a lofty goal for the Hornets for the 2025-26 campaign.
In his exit interview, he stated how unhappy the organization was to end the current season with a 19-63 record and that lengthy conversations will be had this summer to determine the best courses of action to take to transform Charlotte into a playoff team.
The question now is if it's feasible to see the Hornets fighting for a spot in the playoffs next year. What the franchise has going for it is that it has a core set of players with incredible potential individually and as a group. Possibly the only thing standing in the way are injuries. The supporting cast also needs an upgrade, as the current roster's talent level is relatively subpar.
However, some fans might be worried about Peterson gunning for high-risk, high-reward moves that would only set the team back. He allayed those fears in the exit interviews by reaffirming his commitment to building a sustainable contender.
"The goal next year is to win, to compete for the playoffs, and we're going to do everything in our power to do it," he said. "Again, I will double down on we're not going to expedite anything. We're not going to skip steps. There are plenty of examples that we've seen around the league and other sports teams and franchises that when you try to skip steps and go too fast, that's when big mistakes end up happening. The ones that are really hard to crawl out of that hole."
Hearing the recently promoted president of basketball operations (he had been designated as executive president previously) discuss his plans for the franchise has likely fired the Hornets faithful with enthusiasm. However, it's still important for fans to stay patient, as the squad still has several hurdles to clear this summer and beyond.