Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak said the team will not be a major player in the free agent market, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams holding player options on their contracts for next season totaling $45MM, the Hornets likely won’t have much cap space to utilize. Upgrades will be sought mainly through trades, according to an Associated Press report. Kupchak’s main goal this offseason is to re-sign unrestricted free agent Kemba Walker. “I think this is a place that he wants to be and we’ll do everything that we can to bring him back here,” Kupchak said.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Charlotte Observer editorial board took the unusual step of urging the franchise to let Walker seek greener pastures. Opining that “a special player should get the opportunity to find something truly special someplace else,” the board believes it may be in the franchise’s best interest to start over, go into tank mode and gain the financial flexibility required to bring the city a winning team.
- Danny Ferry, who pulled himself out of consideration to run the Pelicans’ front office, is very interested in the Wizards’ top front office job, Gery Woelfel of Woelfelspressbox hears (Twitter link). Ferry served as the interim GM with New Orleans after Dell Demps was fired just after the February trade deadline. Washington fired longtime president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld last week.
- Dan Dial has been named president of the Hawks’ newly-relocated G League team, the College Park Skyhawks, according to a team press release. Dial spent the last seven years as president of baseball’s River City Rascals in the Frontier League. The G League team was previously called the BayHawks and located in Erie, Pa.
Ummm sorry Mitch “ won’t be a major player” who would even want to go there?
Have you been there yourself? Didn’t think so…
As someone who lives in NC…. IT SUCKS!
I mean, MJ can persuade any player if he really tried
No mention of the 52 mil they still owe Nic Batum the next 2 yrs LOL
…or Zeller’s $15mil/yr
No wonder Ferry would rather go to Washington than staying in the Pels after they have squandered already half the value that AD represented, now the question is will they waste the remaining half?
Bob Ferry of course ran the Bullets’ franchise as GM, also played for them. Danny flamed out in Atlanta suddenly, no doubt he’s wiser now and would be a competent GM. I wouldn’t call it an imaginative hire but it’s solid and I can see why Danny prefers them to New Orleans. Both are incredibly difficult jobs.
Seems like a natural fit, dad&son. But Atlanta-DC isn’t much shorter than Atlanta-NOLA, and he used the distance excuse to not take the Pels job. Which, is a good franchise for a GM. Pretty brave to turn down the Pels, if that was the case; maybe it was agreed upon from the getgo.