Hornets’ Jeff Peterson gives update on free agency pursuit of Coby White
When it comes to the Charlotte Hornets’ pursuit of Coby White, nothing has changed.
In fact, the two sides remain in communication as the focus shifts to free agency following the conclusion of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The latest friendly exchange came in the form of a recent Facetime chat.
“Coby, he knows this … but he’s the priority, to bring him back here,” Jeff Peterson, the Hornets’ president of basketball operations, said Tuesday night. “I said whenever we made the trade for him, we love everything that he is about. There’s no doubt that he helped us and he made us better. He hit one of the biggest shots in Hornets’ history.
“But it’s not even about that shot. It’s just his approach.”
With White on track to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, the Hornets had a head start in negotiating a new deal with him, giving them a significant advantage over any other potential suitors. Since June 14, following the conclusion of the NBA Finals a day earlier, Charlotte has been able to discuss contract proposals with White’s representation.
Other teams must wait until 6 p.m. Tuesday to do so.
By trading for White before the February deadline instead of attempting to sign him as an unrestricted free agent in July, the Hornets also inherited White’s full Bird rights from Chicago, allowing Charlotte to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him. The Hornets can also offer him a fifth year that no other team can match, and they can also build in 8% annual raises as opposed to the 5% any rival executive can offer.
Basically, the Hornets can outbid everyone in total dollars, length and yearly bumps without overly worrying how it affects their cap sheet. They are set up to retain White’s services and Peterson sounds like someone who’s going to do whatever he can to make it happen.
“Coming in on a daily basis, he’s a professional,” Peterson said. “His habits are incredible. So, he is the priority and he knows that.”
