To get us through the late-Summer doldrums of the NBA, we’re reviewing teams from around the league and how their offseasons went.
Charlotte Hornets
Key Additions:
Josh Green
Seth Curry
Taj Gibson
Key Losses:
Davis Bertans
Devonte’ Graham
Aleksej Pokusevski
JT Thor
Offseason Review and 2024-25 Season Outlook:
The Charlotte Hornets are an embarrassment. They help me understand why fans of other teams hated the Kings when we were mediocre garbage for a decade and a half. I watch good young players wasting the early part of their careers with the Hornets, praying that LaMelo Ball can stay healthy enough to keep the team relevant or at least generate a few highlights. The Hornets big offseason move was facilitating a trade for other teams and getting Josh Green for their trouble. And while I think Green is a solid player, I doubt we hear much about him next year unless he’s traded somewhere else.
Amid their flurry of other uninspiring moves, the team chose to re-sign Miles Bridges to a 3-year, $75 million contract. A player who has assaulted women, endangered his children, and regularly shows zero remorse or contrition for his actions. Plenty of NBA teams employ players who have been charged with horrible things. Few of those cases are as glaringly awful as Bridges’. I cannot fathom supporting the Hornets after they chose to reward him with a lucrative new contract. I simply hope we never see the day the Kings get so desperate for a wing that they actually trade for him.
Why We Hate Them:
I hate that they traded PJ Washington to Dallas instead of Sacramento, I hate that Brandon Miller is making my Miller/Scoot Henderson draft takes look dumb, I hate that this crappy franchise is wasting one of the best uniform designs in the league, but most of all, and this is very sincere, I hate that the Hornets continue to voluntarily employ Miles Bridges.
We shouldn’t hate them. We should cherish them. They are the only team that has gone longer without winning a playoff series than the Kings.
Because of that, they are our only real rival.
Lamelo was destined for this type of career.
Wait…they added Taj Gibson? Was Joakim Noah unavailable?
I honestly didn’t know he was still in the league.
He latched on with Detroit last season basically just as a vet who could play in an emergency. A little surprising he got another deal, but he’s a good vet presence apparently.
If LaMelo can stay healthy, Miller can make a jump, their twin bigs in Williams/Richards can protect the paint, and Bridges can stay out of trouble, then I squint and see a play-in team. Truth is, they are really going nowhere fast. Are they really banking on Josh Green to turn into something? That’s like putting a ton of your chips in on Ben McLemore.
It would actually benefit them to suck for another year because their 2025 pick is owed to the Spurs, but is lottery protected. At least they have some protected 1st rounders coming their way in 2027 in their cupboard.
I lump the Hornets in with Detroit and Washington as teams destined for the capture the Flagg sweepstakes.
Portland too, I think.
Getting Flagg or Bailey looks like an excellent way to jumpstart your franchise.
Yeah, I could see that. They may become sellers by the deadline by moving the contracts of Simons, Grant, and Ayton. I still can’t figure out why Ayton hasn’t been moved for Ingram. In a lot of ways, it makes sense for both teams.
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