Hornets’ Borrego has free-agent recruiting pitch ready; how he’d close a deal
For the first time in years, the Charlotte Hornets will have abundant salary-cap space this summer and next.
General manager Mitch Kupchak doesn’t plan to go wild in pursuit of free agents this summer. However, coach James Borrego already has his recruiting pitch formulated, and he thinks it’s compelling:
If the money and years are comparable, why not go to a place proven to make players better?
“I feel like basically every guy we’ve drafted has shown some real promise for us,” Borrego said Wednesday morning, hours before NBA suspended the season over the coronavirus pandemic. “What that leads into is what an attractive place this could be for free agents moving forward.”
We don’t know if the Hornets’ season is over. The NBA will be dormant for at least a month. If the league chooses to resume in April, there would likely be a few days of practice followed by at least of handful of regular-season games before the playoffs start. The Hornets, seven games out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, won’t make the playoffs.
So it’s not too soon to reflect on the 65 games the Hornets have played, or on what effect this season could have on the future. Borrego certainly has. In Miami, he linked the development agenda this season to a strong argument when free agents eventually visit Charlotte.
“Absolutely!” Borrego said, when asked if that would resonate with free agents. “Players are looking at (salary) numbers and years — that’s a major factor — but they want to go to a place where they can maximize growth and development. We’re putting a good body of work together to show that.”
Body of work
If Wednesday in Miami proves to be the Hornets’ last game, then the season ended on a high note. They came back from a 20-point deficit to win by 11 on the road over a team a victory from clinching the playoffs.
It wasn’t just the result, it was the structure of the team that won that game: 209 of the 240 Hornets minutes Wednesday were logged by first-and second-season players. That’s been the theme of this season, and Borrego deserves praise for how he pulled this off.
When Borrego said in September that contracts and salaries wouldn’t factor in playing time, and that he’d lean to youth in close decisions, I thought that was the right course. However, I thought it would be difficult to navigate and of limited result.
Borrego shifted away from the veterans without looking arbitrary or fracturing locker-room chemistry. Two of the veterans most de-emphasized — Marvin Williams and Nic Batum — were Borrego’s biggest advocates.
Borrego leveraged playing time for long-term development without turning games into intramurals. Players were held accountable for mistakes, but 47 percent of the total minutes this season went to first- or second-season players. Only the Atlanta Hawks have played young guys more.
I’m not surprised Devonte Graham, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington played a lot. I’m struck that three rookies outside the first round — twins Cody and Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels — didn’t just play, they were effective pieces of the rotation over a seven-game span when the Hornets beat the Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets and Heat.
Staying power
The Hornets are finishing strong enough to give this team’s fans hope. But will this upswing have staying power in a way that will matter when the Hornets start chasing the playoffs again?
This team is still shaped like a donut: A circle of complementary players with a hole in the middle where a star must be. No young talent comparable to a Trae Young in Atlanta or a Luka Doncic in Dallas.
The Hornets must get really lucky in the draft lottery to acquire a rookie of that potential. I’m not certain there even is a player of that star potential in this draft class.
Kupchak has warned it’s too soon this summer to pursue what he calls a “Big Fish” free agent. Probably so, but that doesn’t preclude at least pursuing a B-list free agent this summer, then a more impactful player in the summer of 2021. The Hornets could have $28 million or more available this summer, and more a year later after Batum’s last $27 million salary comes off the books.
Whenever those player visits happen, the sales pitch is already written.
“When you come into our program, you’re going to get better,” Borrego said.
“We’re going to develop you.”
