Hornets’ Mitch Kupchak on LaMelo, injuries, needs, salary cap and what unraveled late
Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak says center is a big enough problem that likely no one player acquisition can fix it.
So expect the Hornets to pursue multiple centers via trade, free-agency and/or the draft this offseason.
Kupchak met with media for about 40 minutes Thursday following the end of Charlotte’s season. Among key points he made:
▪ He expects Gordon Hayward to be “100%” for the start of training camp, after Hayward missed the last 25 games of this season with a sprained foot.
▪ He anticipates the Hornets can have as much as $29 million-plus in salary cap space when free-agency starts Aug. 2. However, cap holds and qualifying offers for restricted free agents, plus the salary slot for a first-round pick, would eat into that total.
▪ After saying last offseason that upgrading overall talent far outweighed any positional need, Kupchak now believes he can focus more in specific areas.
▪ Kupchak now believes the Hornets are more of a potential free-agent destination, with the additions of Hayward and rookie star LaMelo Ball.
▪ Kupchak said coach James Borrego did a “great” job last season, despite the Hornets finishing on a six-game losing streak.
▪ The Hornets need more experience on the roster, as reflected by the blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers in Tuesday’s play-in game.
Center issue
The Hornets had a clear weakness at center, which is nothing new. As Borrego said after a blowout loss in Boston, that’s been an unresolved situation all three seasons he’s coached the Hornets.
Kupchak said he might add “a center, or several centers,” since no one obtainable player will necessary do everything the Hornets need at that position.
“You’d love to get some rim protection, some better rebounding,” Kupcahk said, noting two areas of clear deficiency.
Kupchak said it would be a “stretch” to think Vernon Carey and Nick Richards, rookies this past season who were second-round picks, would be ready to hold down the center position next season.
Injuries
Kupchak said he has been “assured” that Hayward’s foot injury shouldn’t be a long-term concern, and that he expects Hayward to be “100%” for the start of training camp in the fall.
He also called Hayward the Hornets’ best player, although that isn’t necessarily the same as biggest long-term asset, with Ball’s quick impact as a rookie.
Kupchak said he didn’t anticipate any of the late-season injuries, which include Ball’s wrist and Cody Martin’s ankle, to linger in a way that could impact next season.
Roster-building
Kupchak emphasized before the draft last season that the Hornets weren’t talented enough to prioritize need over talent in roster-building. On Thursday, he said he could now focus more on specific areas in the offseason.
Beyond center, the Hornets probably need more shooting and depth. Kupchak said it was evident during last season that the Hornets were less equipped than top franchises to weather injuries without a significant decline in performance.
Free-agent destination?
Kupchak said when he arrived in Charlotte in the spring of 2018 that he couldn’t have an expectation the Hornets would be a free-agent destination.
He’s of a different mind now. He said Hayward’s and Ball’s presence impacts that, but also the style of play the Hornets have shown.
“I think free agents around the league look at the pace we play, and players want to play that way. I think we have a player’s coach,” Kupchak said, “And if (free agents) remember why (Ball) is so much fun to play with — his ability to pass — I don’t know why players wouldn’t want to come here to play with him.”
Reviewing James Borrego
Kupchak is positive on Borrego, who enters his fourth season in Charlotte, the final one on the contract he signed in 2018.
“I think he’s done a great job. We did step forward. I thought we made progress,” Kupchak said, adding the players were positive in exit interviews with the front office.
“Everybody was really upbeat about the season,” Kupchak said. “They loved the way we play the game, the pace that we play at.“
Borrego has received some criticism from the fan base, sometimes for his changing rotations, other times for how he initially used Ball, versus using fellow point guard Devonte Graham.
Bad ending
Kupchak said the blowout loss to the Pacers (144-117) partially reflects the lack of experience, particularly playoff experience, on Charlotte’s roster.
“I just didn’t think the understanding that it’s ‘do-or-die’ (a close-out game sense or urgency) was there like it needed to be,” Kupchak said of the players. “I think some of that was due to a lack of experience.”
Guard Terry Rozier made a similar observation Wednesday — that the Hornets need more veterans and more “grit” to be better prepared for future playoffs.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 5:05 PM.
