3 Hornets on the Chopping Block After Charles Lee Hiring

The Charlotte Hornets officially agreed to terms with Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee to become the organization's new head coach, ushering in a new era as Charlotte hopes to return to prominence.

Lee has a lot of work to do. Teams don't go 21-61 on bad luck alone, so sweeping changes should be coming throughout his tenure to build around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who finished third in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race.

We already know that some players are unlikely to be back, but others will start feeling pressure in the near future too. Let's look at three Hornets on the chopping block following Lee's hiring.

1. Davis Bertans - SF/PF

Davis Bertans is a fine rotational player, having averaged 8.8 points per game on over 37% shooting from beyond the arc. However, he's owed $16 million in 2024-25, the second-highest mark on the team, and represents an albatross of a contract at that value.

It's unclear whether Charlotte's ownership is willing to dip into the luxury tax. If they're not, the Hornets are currently more than $8 million over the cap entering the offseason. That doesn't include draft picks or any potential additions through free agency. For one of the worst teams in the NBA, that's truly a disastrous position to be in.

Thus, Bertans becomes an obvious trade-or-cut candidate. This is the last year of his contract and he's likely not part of the Hornets' core who could eventually become part of a contending team, thus, he's expendable.

Bertans is a reliable shooter and makes a ton of sense as a complementary player or a depth piece on a contending team. The Los Angeles Lakers could've certainly used him this postseason, for example, and I could imagine other playoff teams being interested in a tall, reliable shooter.

Regarding the current Hornets' construction though, Bertans does not make sense at his current price. Expect the organization to strongly consider moving on from the 6'10" sharpshooter.