Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak has enough cap space to sign a major free agent, but should he?
Charlotte Hornets fans should be relieved this team will finally have significant salary-cap room this summer.
Just keep in mind that cap space (they figure to be at least $25 million below the projected per-team cap of $115 million next season) is a tool, not an end result. Cap space makes it easier for a team to sign free agents or make trades. But cap space only helps win games to the extent it’s well utilized.
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak spent his first two summers in this job with little cap flexibility. However, all the way back in September, Kupchak started tempering fan expectations, telling the Observer he didn’t view pursuing “Big Fish” free agents as wise strategy for the Hornets in July.
What can cap space do for the Hornets this summer? That topic came up frequently in this week’s mailbag.
DO YOU SEE THE HORNETS GOING AFTER BIG-NAME FREE AGENTS, OR WAITING TO SEE HOW THE YOUNG GUYS PLAY OUT?
Unless Kupchak has changed his approach dramatically since he spoke about this in September (and I anticipate interviewing him this week), the Hornets don’t intend to chase major free agents this summer. It’s not a great free agent class. More importantly, the Hornets would likely have to overpay to sign anyone who could make much difference, with such an inexperienced roster.
Kupchak has mentioned re-signing young talent and facilitating trades as other uses for cap space. I assume they will look into a contract extension for point guard Devonte Graham, but there are limitations on what they can offer him under NBA rules until Graham reaches free-agency in the summer of 2021.
WHEN KUPCHAK SAID THE TEAM WOULD BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT AND ‘SAVVY TRADES,’ WHO OR WHAT DO YOU SEE AS A TARGET?
They could look to acquire a young player who might not be used much on a team leaning on veterans — like when the Hornets acquired Jeremy Lamb from the Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2015.
Or they could acquire a draft pick in return for accepting a guaranteed salary off another team’s payroll. It’s common for teams in danger of paying luxury tax to look for a team with cap space to make that sort of a deal.
WITH THE HORNETS EMBRACING A YOUTH MOVEMENT, SHOULD THEY STILL LOOK TO SIGN A VETERAN THIS SUMMER?
That depends on how far along a veteran is in his career (could he still be helpful when the Hornets start making the playoffs again?) and whether a veteran would accept a contract without a guarantee beyond next season. Future cap space would be a factor in every decision Kupchak makes.
When the New York Knicks failed to sign big-name free agents last summer, their backup plan was signing lesser players (Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson and Wayne Ellington) to contracts that guaranteed their salaries only through the 2019-20 season. That allowed the Knicks to audition those guys without long-term cap obligations.
WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE IN THE HORNETS FRONT OFFICE SINCE KUPCHAK REPLACED RICH CHO?
The obvious one is better use of the second round: Acquiring Devonte Graham and Cody Martin. (We’ll see how things go long-term with Jalen McDaniels and Arnoldas Kulboka, both of whom were taken among the last 10 picks of their respective drafts).
Graham was technically an Atlanta Hawks pick, but he came to the Hornets in a prearranged trade.
Prior to Kupchak’s arrival, you have to go back to 2012 and Jeffery Taylor’s brief time in Charlotte to find real evidence of the second round mattering to the Hornets.
Kupchak spent about 20 years in the Los Angeles Lakers front office. There are numerous examples of Lakers second-round picks (notably Marc Gasol, Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton) to illustrate the attention Kupchak paid to later selections.
The other two areas of focus have been player development and medical staff. The Hornets devote more resources to both now, and that makes sense in this regard: They can improve performance without being regulated by the salary cap.
If young guys develop more quickly and efficiently, it adds value without counting against the cap. If medical staff — particularly preventive medicine — means players miss fewer games with injury, that also improves performance.
DO YOU SEE THE HORNETS BUYING OUT NICOLAS BATUM, LIKE THEY DID WITH MARVIN WILLIAMS AND MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST, IF THEY CAN’T FIND A TRADE FOR HIM?
Most buyouts are player-initiated: A player wants to be released to sign elsewhere, so he agrees to give up some portion of his remaining guaranteed salary. Unless Batum is unhappy enough with his role to give back some of the $27 million the Hornets owe him next season, that seems unlikely.
When a team initiates a buyout discussion, it’s usually because either that team needs a roster spot or the player has become a major problem in the locker room. There’s no evidence of either of those things being the case for the Hornets.
ARE CALEB MARTIN AND MCDANIELS NOW ON THE HORNETS OR STILL PART OF THE SWARM?
They have been under contract to the Hornets all season, but assigned to the G-League Greensboro Swarm most of the season for development purposes. That’s similar to Dwayne Bacon and Graham last season, when they were on Hornets contracts, but spent time with the Swarm.
After the Hornets bought out Williams and Kidd-Gilchrist, Martin and McDaniels were moved up to Charlotte. Martin (twin brother of Cody) started against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week and McDaniels was the first player off the bench.
Do they stay with the Hornets? Coach James Borrego said that’s up to their performance. Borrego has had a guideline he’s followed closely this season: If a young guy isn’t playing in Charlotte, he should instead be in Greensboro. So if Martin and/or McDaniels can pierce the rotation with their play, they’ll stick around. If not, then back to the Swarm.
