Hornets signing Andre Drummond a ‘long shot,’ but team has salary cap tools to pursue
The Charlotte Hornets will be active in the NBA buyout market, and general manager Mitch Kupchak says the team has the tools to compete for veteran help.
The Hornets need another center as they chase their first playoff spot in five seasons. Cleveland’s Andre Drummond reportedly completed a buyout Friday, and Yahoo Sports reports the Hornets will be one of the teams Drummond considers.
Kupchak addressed the buyout situation in a media availability Friday, after the team traded Thursday for reserve point guard Brad Wanamaker. Kupchak said the Hornets signing an impact player via the buyout market is a “long shot,” but they will work that process.
“We do have the ability” to sign a free agent still, Kupchak said. “We have (roster) flexibility and we still have some cap room and we have an exception that we could use...
“I don’t know where we fit into the plans of any of these players that may get bought out. But, yes, we will look and make contact with players and their representatives if they’re bought out.”
San Antonio Spurs big man LaMarcus Alrdidge has already completed a buyout, but is reportedly leaning toward signing with the Miami Heat. Other big men who could potentially be involved in buyouts: The Kings’ Hassan Whiteside, the Rockets’ Kelly Olynyk and Memphis’s Gorgui Dieng.
Kupchak said veterans who are bought out typically prioritize two factors in their decisions: How much they would play with their next team and the chance to contend for a championship.
Obviously, Drummond -- who averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this season -- would play in a Charlotte mix of centers with Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo. However, the Hornets aren’t in title contention, like the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets are.
The Hornets used a roster spot that had been left open all season to acquire Wanamaker from the Golden State Warriors. Wanamaker provides some additional depth at point guard while rookie star LaMelo Ball recovers from a wrist fracture. Kupchak said Friday he no longer assumes that Ball is out for the season.
The Hornets’ only cost in acquiring Wanamaker was that roster spot and adding Wanamaker’s $2.25 million salary to Charlotte’s cap. Kupchak said that wouldn’t hinder him from pursuing a free agent in the buyout market.
Kupchak said he wouldn’t have a problem with releasing a player to create a roster spot (without specifying who), and mentioned a cap exception that would be equivalent to the $4 million-plus the Hornets had under the cap before the Wanamaker trade.
The Hornets have a $4.7 “room exception” available because they started the season under the $109 million salary cap.
Kupchak addressed several other topics in a 20-minute interview Friday:
Center position needs to be addressed
Kupchak was diplomatic in addressing the Hornets’ flawed center rotation, but acknowledged some sort of change is in the offing.
“Going forward, since Cody and Biz are both going to be free agents, that would be an area of concern going forward,” Kupchak said. “This summer they’re going to have options and we may or may not have options. That is, and was, a focus” of trade talks.
More on LaMelo Ball’s wrist fracture
Kupchak said the surgery in New York Tuesday placed a pin in Ball’s wrist and that the fracture was not displaced. He sounded hopeful, though certainly not expectant, that Ball will play again this season.
“With young people, they expect a bone to heal in five or six weeks. If that’s the case, the cast would come off,” Kupchak said of Ball’s recovery projection.
“At that point, it’s just a matter of getting flexibility back in your hand.”
Kupchak assesses Hornets this season
Kupchak said the Hornets have played better faster than he anticipated, but not so much that it has significantly changed the rebuild plan.
“I think our younger players have gotten better and our veterans have made grand contributions. There’s no doubt that the Gordon Hayward addition upgrades our talent overall,” Kupchak said.
“LaMelo -- we did not expect him to be this advanced this early in his career...Clearly he has adjusted quicker than we anticipated.”
Kupchak praises coach James Borrego
The Hornets are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and Kupchak gave much of the credit to coach James Borrego.
“Our coach has done a great job in managing the style of play, our pace. Defensively, we’ve gotten better,” Kupchak said. “Maybe we’re a little bit ahead of where I thought we’d be.”
Balancing this season with future development
The Hornets didn’t give up any draft picks or a young player to add a veteran for the playoff run. Kupchak said he considered doing something like that, but it’s his job to strike a balance between the immediate and the future.
“There is a temptation there to dive in. Try to make sure” this season includes a playoff appearance, Kupchak said.
“You’ve got to be careful when you make a trade that you’re keeping the big picture in mind, versus trying to win the most games in the next month.”
He said there’s a difference between Borrego’s priorities as coach and Kupchak’s as general manager.
“Coaches, understandably, all they think about is the next game. Sometimes a coach’s perspective and a general manager’s or owner’s perspective is a little different,” Kupchak said.
“My job is to be more in tune with the future and the big picture.”
Talent still isn’t good enough
Kupchak said at the end of last season that general talent was a bigger concern than any individual position need.
Friday, he said that even with the additions of Ball and Hayward, this team still needs upgrades through the draft, trades and free agency in the future. The Hornets haven’t arrived.
“Admittedly the talent level is not good enough,” Kupchak said, “to get us where we want to go.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 1:54 PM.
