Charlotte Hornets: Fall Back Plans
The Charlotte Hornets will need to keep some options in mind if they are unable to bring back key pieces of the roster.
The Charlotte Hornets will be going into free agency with a lot of risk on the line. They will most likely be unable to sign back all the pieces that are currently free agents. There is a world where Nicolas Batum signs elsewhere and the Hornets have a bit more freedom to restore the roster. The problem with that theory is losing a talent like Batum.
So what could the Hornets do if they lose their main targets? First we need to qualify who is a main target. Al Jefferson and Courtney Lee are likely not priorities for the team to bring back. That leaves the three guys who are: Batum, Marvin Williams, and Jeremy Lin.
We talked about replacing Lin a little yesterday. It is hard to get Lin’s entire skill set in one player. Most likely the Hornets would have to settle for bits or pieces of it. If the Hornets value explosiveness and shooting first then one free agent to look at Jerryd Bayless.
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On the other hand if the Hornets want to prioritize defense then they could make a run at Greivis Vazquez. Neither player is the package that Lin is, but they could offer things that fit on the team.
Williams offers shooting and added some toughness to his game last season. Finding a proper replacement for him would be difficult too. The best option is probably the Phoenix Suns free agent Mirza Teletovic. Teletovic had a good year scoring the ball and he can offer the shooting though at the expense of some rebounding.
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Finally there is Batum. There is no replacement for Batum on the market. If he goes then the playmaking ability of the Hornets falls largely on the shoulders of Kemba Walker. If the team is okay with that then the team could pursue another ‘three and d’ guy in free agency.
Aaron Afflalo would make sense, but he did have a bad year last year. Kent Bazemore exceeded expectations with the Hawks and might be a good target. A long shot would be J.R. Smith, though I think the best move for Smith is to go back to Cleveland. Another long shot would be bringing in Harrison Barnes with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist moving to the two for defensive purposes.
Hopefully the Hornets can avoid Armageddon, but they don’t have many things set in stone right now.