The Charlotte Hornets do not appear to be on track to be in the postseason picture in the 2025-26 campaign. It might be intentional on their part, as some pundits believe they are trying to put themselves in a better position to nab another high draft pick next year. One of the pieces of evidence these folks have used is the Hornets' decision not to find a more reliable reinforcement at center.
For instance, Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic remarked that one of the signs that a team is stealth tanking is when it does "not employ any legitimate centers."
The podcast host brought up the Oklahoma City Thunder as an example, as the reigning champion used to rely on big men like an old Al Horford, Moses Brown, Mike Muscala, and Aleksej Pokusevski to patrol the paint during their rebuilding years. Now, they have Chet Holmgren, whom they drafted in 2022, and Isaiah Hartenstein, a 2024 offseason addition, headlining their center rotation.
Charlotte already had who was supposed to be its long-term building block at the pivot in Mark Williams. However, the front office opted against the idea more than once, presumably because of his persistent battle with injuries and defensive deficiencies.
To be fair to the organization, it managed to land a nice return package for Williams and Nick Richards within a span of several months. On one hand, parting ways with most of its previous big guys has left it with a massive hole at the five.
Well, it's not as if the Hornets need a dramatic change at center, as Moussa Diabate was one of the squad's bright spots last season, and Ryan Kalkbrenner has the potential to be a 3-and-D big in the mold of Brook Lopez. Sure, they could have picked up someone better than Mason Plumlee this summer, which wouldn't have been that difficult to pull off.
Still, it's telling that coach Charles Lee is hardly sweating the fact that he will likely enter the 2025-26 regular season with those three as his primary options to man the five position.
Or maybe Lee is fine with it because Charlotte's goal is indeed to continue its tanking ways for one more year.
Hornets have to be careful about all the losing
Naturally, the franchise would not admit to implementing such a strategy, as it could result in some form of punishment from the league office. Another reason is that it could alienate some fans, who have grown tired of seeing the Hornets register many more losses than wins.
The team must also be cautious about how blatant tanking could negatively impact its roster-building pursuits. What if a healthy LaMelo Ball feels frustrated with the supposed direction and decides that he needs to go elsewhere? What if future free agents turn their heads away from Charlotte because they seek to play for a squad committed to winning?
It's easy to say that the Hornets have to stay awful intentionally in order to land more assets that are helpful to their rebuild. While that sentiment is valid, the club spending more time at the bottom of the standings might take its toll on the players and the fans.