Good morning! It’s been an eventful day(s) in the landscape of the Charlotte Hornets.
Notes
📅 NBA announced its schedule for the 2022 Summer League. The Hornets are guaranteed 4 games between July 7-17. Here’s Charlotte’s schedule:
Friday, July 8 vs. Indiana Pacers (ESPN2)
Sunday, July 10 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (NBATV)
Wednesday, July 13 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (ESPNU)
Thursday, July 14 vs. Chicago Bulls (ESPN2)
💰 Today marks the fully-guarantee date for Mason Plumlee’s $9,080,4171 contract. If today passes without him being waived or traded, he will be on Charlotte’s books for the full amount. If Charlotte does waive him, $4,262,500 will be saved — 50% of his base salary of $8,525,000. That means $4,817,917 would be dead money.
Max Hesitancy
In yesterday’s Inside Pass with Shams, it was reported that there could be some hesitancy from Charlotte to match a max offer sheet on Miles Bridges. Bridges didn’t receive an enticing extension offer last offseason and will hit restricted free agency in the coming days. Charlotte has the right to match any offer an opposing team throws in his direction.
With rumors like this, you have to take into consideration the source and why it’s coming to light. Is this coming from his agency trying to boost his value? I don’t have a lot of faith that this revelation actually came from inside the organization, who is typically tight-lipped. There’s always a motive behind the intel.
When he was extension-eligible, I would’ve been willing to pay Bridges in the $25 - $27 million range. The Hornets, reportedly, didn’t get anywhere close to that number. Now that he’s made another jump as a driver and ball-handler, Charlotte could have some regret not getting a deal done and be at the mercy of another team. The question becomes: will a team offer him his max salary of $30,500,0002?
Charlotte should do everything in their power to keep Bridges. They were the organization that groomed him. It would be a miscalculation to let him go for nothing. Small markets have to succeed on the margins and developing young talent is one of the easiest ways to combat the lack of pull in free agency.
Mitch Kupchak took a risk last summer and all we can do now is wait and see how it plays out.
Familiar Name, Different Day
In that same piece from Shams Charania, the Pacers have expressed a desire to trade Myles Turner. Guess what? The Hornets are one team that has been linked with Turner. It’s almost as if both teams are waiting for the stars to align to finally complete a deal. There’s a part of me that wonders if Charlotte really wanted Turner, wouldn’t he be in a Hornets’ uniform by now?
I don’t dislike Turner as a player, but also wouldn’t be upset if the Hornets never acquired him. It would come down to how the deal was structured.
He would certainly help Charlotte’s rim protection and could be an effective scorer at the rim out of the pick-and-roll. Having said all that, he’s played 151 games in the past 3 seasons — just 6 more than Gordon Hayward in that same time frame.
The Market for Terry Rozier
Jake Fischer of B/R reported that “the Hornets are expected to gauge trade interest in Terry Rozier,” among others. Rozier recently signed an extension that kicks in for the upcoming season. Rozier will make $96,258,694 over the course of the next 4 seasons and is the only Charlotte Hornet on the books for the 2025-26 season.
If Kupchak wants to clear future space, Rozier may be easier to trade than Gordon Hayward3. The perceived value of Hayward seems to be diminished because of his injury history combined with his lofty salary. The few times Hayward’s name has been brought up in rumors it’s typically tied to Russell Westbrook. I just don’t see the value in making a trade for Westbrook because it certainly wouldn’t be one that helps the team out on the court. It would merely be a cost-saving move.
While Kupchak could’ve waited to extend Terry Rozier within the 2021-22 season, he decided to make the move last summer. He’s now tasked with retaining Miles Bridges and extending LaMelo Ball in a couple of seasons with Rozier on the books for an average salary of $24 million. It certainly complicates things. Despite the Rozier extension, he’s still a durable, floor spacer that many teams should covet. No one knows how serious they are exploring a Rozier trade, but I don’t think it’s as farfetched as one would think.
🐝 That’s it for now! Be sure to comment below with your thoughts on these rumors.
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The $9,080,417 amount is higher than his base salary because of a trade kicker that was included in his contract with Detroit.
A new team can offer him $30.5 million just like Charlotte but are limited to 4 years and 5% annual raises. The Hornets can offer him a fifth year and annual raises of 8%. That difference over the course of the contract could be $45,750,000.
Gordon Hayward is owed $30,075,000 and $31,500,000 over the next two seasons, respectively.