The 2022-23 season for the Charlotte Hornets went more poorly than they could’ve imagined. The arrest of Miles Bridges on the eve of free agency and the subsequent charges pressed against him completely changed their offseason plans. On the court, multiple ankle injuries to LaMelo Ball set the team back as they struggled to get back in the mix for the play-in tournament. The Hornets appear to be far away from being a competitive team anytime soon.
Although this was one bad season, over a decade of poor drafting and just two playoff appearances have culminated with Michael Jordan finally deciding to sell his majority stake in the franchise. The Hornets are heading into the offseason with flexibility and a high draft pick, a position many teams envy. But will they execute those decisions with enough precision to change their long-term outlook?
Here is a preview of the 2023 offseason for the Charlotte Hornets.
State of the roster and draft
Charlotte headed into the offseason with 13 players under contract, including the second and 27th overall selections in this year’s draft. Of their group, only LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams currently project to be long-term building blocks. It goes without saying that prioritizing the draft and selecting the best possible players is their most important goal of the summer considering their draft record.
The Hornets didn’t win the draft lottery but they had the good fortune of moving up. They won’t get Victor Wembanyama, but they are still in a wonderful position with most consensus mock drafts having them choose between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson. Both players would be great fits in Charlotte and the selection may ultimately come down to need over the best player available.
Their lack of a long-term answer at forward could favor Miller as the selection. Although selecting Henderson may feel redundant considering they already have Ball, there’s an argument for them to select him anyways if they feel he’s the best player available. If he’s good, the Hornets would then have optionality if they decide to trade one of the guards in the future. With the playoffs looking unlikely in the next few seasons, the Hornets should prioritize drafting the best player available considering their lack of high-end talent.
Cap outlook
The Hornets could generate up to $28.4 million in cap space this offseason. However, that route seems unlikely since it would require them to renounce the free agent rights to Miles Bridges and PJ Washington. Unless they could get a favorable return for either player in a sign-and-trade, the Hornets are better off operating over the cap and re-signing their top free agents instead of losing them for nothing.
Bridges’ legal situation has been settled and he’s officially been disciplined by the league with a 30-game suspension. The Hornets still hold his rights and can make him a restricted free agent if they tender him a $7.7 million qualifying offer. He may have been looking at a lucrative contract in the $30 million annual range last summer. His next deal could be severely impacted by his actions and his one-year absence from the court. Not only might his annual salary range be significantly lower, but the total years and guarantees could be decreased as well.
If the Hornets re-sign Bridges, Washington, and extend Ball to long-term deals, they’ll be unlikely to have cap space in future seasons. They could have significant space this summer while retaining their top free agents if they are able to get off the $31.5 million expiring salary of Gordon Hayward. For example, offloading Hayward in addition to waiving the non-guaranteed salaries of Kobi Simmons and JT Thor could give them around $27 million in space.
The impending sale of the Hornets could change the direction the organization takes. The likelihood of the team being capped out by re-signing or extending all their best players could be a problem if they choose to take a step back and retool the roster. Even if they move on from Bridges and Washington, a lucrative extension for Ball will still eat a big chunk of their future cap.
Extension candidate: LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball will be extension-eligible during the offseason. The former Rookie of the Year and one-time All-Star if an offensive star who averaged a career-best 23.3 points and 8.4 assists per game. He made a big improvement on his shot selection after taking 10.6 threes per game while making them on his career average rate. He seems likely to command a maximum extension currently projected at five years, $204 million, which would give him a starting salary of $35.2 million in 2023-24.
Free agent: PJ Washington
PJ Washington is Charlotte’s top free agent this summer. The Hornets can make him a restricted free agent if they tender him an $8.5 million qualifying offer. Washington saw his usage go up in the absence of Bridges and while his scoring went up, his efficiency couldn’t keep up. Offers for Washington could start in the $12.2 million non-taxpayer mid-level range, which would be comparable to recent deals like Wendell Carter Jr., Brandon Clarke, and Bobby Portis.
2023-24 SALARY SITUATION
Players rostered: 13
Two-way players: 1 (Xavier Sneed)
Guaranteed salaries: $102.5 million
Non-guaranteed salaries: $3.9 million
Total salary: $106.4 million
Luxury tax space: $55.6 million
First apron space: $62.6 million
Second apron space: $73.1 million
Spending power:
-
Cap space: $27.6-30.4 million
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Room mid-level exception: $7,609,000
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Jalen McDaniels trade exception: $1,930,681 (expires February 9, 2024, will be renounced if Hornets generate cap space)
Gordon Hayward
2023-24 salary: $31,500,000
Remaining salary guaranteed: $31,500,000
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary: $23,205,221
Remaining salary guaranteed: $74,772,378 through 2025-26
LaMelo Ball
2023-24 salary: $10,900,635
Remaining salary guaranteed: $10,900,635
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary: $7,560,000
Remaining salary guaranteed: $15,680,000 through 2024-25
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary: $5,000,000
Remaining salary guaranteed: $10,000,000 through 2024-25
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary: $4,570,080
Remaining salary guaranteed: $10,634,577 through 2024-25.
Mark Williams
2023-24 salary: $3,858,160
Remaining salary guaranteed: $14,278,971 through 2025-26
2023-24 salary: $3,047,880
Remaining salary guaranteed: $7,741,615 through 2024-25
Kobi Simmons
2023-24 salary: $2,066,585
Remaining salary guaranteed: $0
Additional notes:
JT Thor
2023-24 salary: $1,836,096
Remaining salary guaranteed: $0
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary: $1,719,864
Remaining salary guaranteed: $1,719,864
Additional notes:
Cap hold: $17,425,305
Type of free agent: Bird (restricted)
Additional notes:
Cap hold: $16,380,000
Type of free agent: Early Bird (unrestricted)
Cap hold: $1,989,698
Type of free agent: Non Bird (unrestricted)
Cap hold: $1,989,698
Type of free agent: Non Bird (unrestricted)
Theo Maledon
Cap hold: $1,774,999
Type of free agent: Non Bird (restricted)
2023 Pick No. 2
2023-24 salary: $10,718,880
Remaining salary guaranteed: $48,644,560 through 2026-27
Additional notes: HoopsHype and ForTheWin’s draft expert Bryan Kalbrosky has Brandon Miller as the 2nd overall selection in his most recent mock draft.
2023 Pick No. 27
2023-24 salary: $2,499,480
Remaining salary guaranteed: $12,829,768 through 2026-27
Additional notes: HoopsHype and ForTheWin’s draft expert Bryan Kalbrosky has Jalen Hood-Schifino as the 29th overall selection in his most recent mock draft.
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Story originally appeared on HoopsHype