Charlotte Hornets Free Agency
The Charlotte Hornets had a disappointing season last year. They did not qualify for the continuation of the NBA season in Orlando, Florida, following the hiatus due to their 23–42 record.
However, it may have paid off for the Hornets because they were able to draft LaMelo Ball. Last season, Devonte’ Graham surprised a lot of people with his impressive play. Now, he will have LaMelo Ball alongside him in the backcourt, as the duo will look to build chemistry as soon as possible, in a shorter 72-game season, where the margin for error can be little to none.
Who’s in: Gordon Hayward, LaMelo Ball, Nate Darling, Vernon Carey Jr., Javin DeLaurier, Keandre Cook, Nick Richards, Grant Riller, Xavier Sneed.
Who’s out: Nicolas Batum, Willy Hernangomez, Dwayne Bacon, Joe Chealey, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
The youth movement is in full swing in Charlotte. It’s unclear whether the Hornets will compete this season or if they will trade some of their veteran players such as Terry Rozier and Cody Zeller before the trade deadline.
LaMelo Ball, Devonte’ Graham, and the newest addition, Gordon Hayward will look to lead this team to the playoffs. Having said that, it seems like Terry Rozier wants out of Charlotte. With Ball and Graham set to lead the backcourt, Rozier does not want to take the backseat to a rookie. One team that he is interested in joining is the Los Angeles Clippers.
Team Strengths: Scoring, Playmaking.
Team Weaknesses: Defense, Rebounding
The Hornets have offensive firepower, however, they are not the best defensively. The Hornets will need consistent offense from Hayward, Ball, and Graham at the very least to keep up with most teams.
Contenders or Pretenders?
The Hornets will be an entertaining team to watch, and they will compete against a lot of teams. However, they are pretenders because the Eastern Conference has improved as a whole. The return of one of the best players in the league, Kevin Durant, will give the Nets a boost, the Hawks improved their team and they will likely make the playoffs, as well as the Wizards getting a healthy John Wall back on the hardwood.
There are too many star-studded teams or teams with a lot of depth in the Eastern Conference for the Hornets to be contenders. They will need to add a few more players, specifically 3-and-D players, as well as Centers, to add to their depth, and improve defensively before they become contenders.
