As Devonte Graham ascends, how do the Hornets keep him off the free-agent market?
Point guard Devonte Graham’s performance for the Charlotte Hornets this season has been shockingly good.
General manager Mitch Kupchak has said his top priority is retaining young talent.
How and when could the Hornets lock in Graham for the future?
The earliest the Hornets could sign Graham to an extension is July. His original rookie contract was for three years and about $4 million. Under NBA rules, that contract couldn’t be extended until at least two years after it was signed (July 6, 2018).
While the sample size is just 10 games, Graham is far outperforming his $1.4 million salary this season. He is the Hornets’ leader in points (17.9 per game), and assists (7.6) and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. He is outplaying the starter at his position, Terry Rozier, who the Hornets are paying $57 million over three years.
Would Graham be receptive to an extension, such as the four-year $48 million deal that took Kemba Walker off the market in 2014? Graham was taken a bit off guard by the question following practice Tuesday.
“I’d have to have a sit-down with my agent to see what the best option would be for me,” Graham said when asked by the Observer. “Obviously, that (a next contract) is not what I’m thinking about right now.”
The Hornets acquired the former Kansas guard early in the second round (34th overall) in exchange for trading two future second-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks. His current contract is so team-friendly that his $1.66 million salary in 2020-21 is not guaranteed.
Kupchak told the Observer in September that his top priority, as the Hornets’ payroll lightens after this season, will be retaining young talent. What would the rules allow?
Under the collective bargaining agreement, the most the Hornets could offer Graham for the 2021-22 season in an extension is 120 percent of the estimated average salary, which would be about $11 million. The Hornets could then build a multi-year contract off that number.
Double-digit deficits
The Hornets have trailed by 10 or more points in each of their first 10 games this season. That isn’t unprecedented, but it’s pretty rare.
It has happened three previous times since 2006, according to Elias Sports Bureau: The Dallas Mavericks in 2016 (they went 2-8), the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers (0-10) and the 2006 Memphis Grizzlies (2-8). Elias doesn’t have record-keeping on the longest such start-of-season streak.
The clear difference between those teams and this Hornets edition is closing out winnable games: So far, with the exception of Saturday’s home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, they have beaten teams of similar record (Bulls, Kings, Warriors and Pacers).
“It’s a blessing and it’s a curse,” coach James Borrego said. “I have a team that can bounce back — they’re resilient.
“The downside is we’re comfortable with getting down early, for some reason. We don’t gain traction early in games. We wait for our opponents to lay the ground and then we try to make up. That’s not good basketball. That’s not winning basketball. We have to clean that up.”
It reflects how poorly the starting five has played so far. The five starters — Rozier, Dwayne Bacon, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington and Cody Zeller — are a combined minus-29.6 points per 100 possessions this season.
“It points to the youth of our team. There are just too many lapses in play right now,” Zeller said. “We’re kind of all over the map right now in how we’re playing.”
Batum recovering
Guard-forward Nic Batum, out with a fracture on the middle finger of his left hand, was cleared to participate in most of practice Tuesday. While he’s listed as out for Wednesday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, he appears to be closing in on clearance for games.
“He’s progressing very well right now. He almost went a full go today,” Borrego said. “That doesn’t tell us when he’s going to be ready. How far away, we don’t know yet.”
