Speaking to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, Hornets vice chairman Curtis Polk said he doesn’t expect to discuss the team’s coaching staff until a new general manager is hired. However, asked if he expects Steve Clifford to return for the 2018/19 season, Polk replied, “I would today.”
Polk also addressed a few other topics in his conversation with Bonnell, including the Hornets’ salary cap situation. With approximately $118MM in guaranteed salary on the books already for 2018/19, it will be very difficult for Charlotte to upgrade its roster this offseason. However, Polk told Bonnell that the team’s next GM will be tasked with keeping team salary below the tax line while improving the roster’s depth.
Here’s more from around the Southeast division:
- Whoever becomes the next Hornets general manager may have a ticking time bomb on their hands in the form of Kemba Walker‘s 2019 free agency, says Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. As Bonnell observes, it will be virtually impossible for Charlotte to extend Walker before his contract expires, so the standout point guard willcha almost certainly reach the open market.
- The Magic will get a pair of key players back in their lineup tonight, with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon set to return from hand and hip injuries, respectively. John Denton has the details at the club’s official website.
- Wizards point guard John Wall is still only 27 years old, so he has a long basketball career ahead of him and doesn’t yet known what he’ll do when his playing career is done. However, he intends to enter that stage of his life armed with a business degree. As Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes, Wall will return to the University of Kentucky this summer to work toward that degree.
Walker is traded on draft day, inevitable.
Where do you think he’d go and what do you think Charlotte would get in return
You can’t really use a “disgruntled” argument that they won’t get anything for him. I mean the Suns got a protected 1st and 2nd for Bledsoe, who is a lesser talent. Starts with a 1st round pick though regardless. If you’re looking at salary matching for guys they’d dump (Batum, Williams, MKG) you have expring contracts for 2019 in Melo, Carroll, Faried, Gortat, Tyson Chandler, Wilson Chandler. Anyone in the 13M range really with an expiring contract at the end of next year.
No one said he was disgruntled
I know Miami probably doesn’t have the means, but he and Dragic working together would probably be nice
Miami has a first round pick and would probably be willing to trade Whiteside if the Hornets would take him
Hornets want to dump salary, that doesn’t jive.