For three seasons already, Mitch Kupchak takes care of the franchise of Michael Jordan, both sporting and financially. The Hornets’ salary nest is now very well maintained thanks in particular to a lot of rookie contracts, despite Gordon Hayward’s 30 potatoes and Nico Batum’s 9 million that are still lying around.
A short practical guide to Salary Cap and the Exceptions
Source : basketballinsiders
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Financial situation in relation to the course
- The Luxury Tax threshold is set at $ 136,606,000 this year.
- The NBA’s Salary Cap is set at $ 119,000,000 this year.
- With $ 116,904,105 contractually committed for this 2021-22 season, the Charlotte Hornets are one of the few teams in the League below the Salary Cap and are careful not to spend a GM penny for no reason. Granted, Gordon Hayward’s $ 30million hurts, but the winger is the leader of the team and hasn’t gone far from being an All-Star last season. Charlotte is a small market and is forced to give the blind to these kinds of players to recruit them and teach kids about life. The nine caps of Nico Batum come a little taint the accounts of the franchise but are much more profitable than the 25 dragibus he touched before his buy-out. Terry Rozier’s deal is also substantial but secures the boy’s bounty for the next four years and will allow LaMelo to take his time to progress as he needs to, even if it seems that the 2021 ROY does not have time. and is already performing well beyond his little rookie contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Mason Plumlee are there to play the experienced veterans and will be Hayward’s lieutenants in Charlotte’s locker room to try to bring the franchise back to the play-in, and why not hang on the Playoffs this time.
Players with guaranteed contracts for the following season: 6
- Gordon Hayward
- Terry Rozier
- James Bouknight
- Kai Jones
- Vernon Carey Jr
- JT Thor
- (Nico Batum)
91.5 maracas for Hayward and almost 115 marshmallows over 5 years (including 26.6 unsecured) for Rozier is expensive yes, but the two former Celtics are necessary for the rebuilding of the Hornets. Scary Terry will spend his best years training LaMelo Ball and teaching him a couple of things, especially in Playoffs. Gordon Hayward will take rookies James Bouknight, Kai Jones and JT Thor under his wing. Among the triplet could also be the future replacement of Miles Bridges, whose situation is still rather vague and whose future is not assured in Charlotte (see below). Vernon Carey Jr. will try to make his hole in the racket, weak sector – both in quality and quantity – of the Hornets this year. Next season will also mark the end of the 8.8 annual suitcases for Nico Batum, which will take a lot of pressure off Jojo’s bank account. Finally, we can already add to this list LaMelo and PJ Washington, whose small team options will be raised with their eyes closed by Mitch Kupchak.
Three players in interesting situations this season
- Miles Bridges : we mentioned the name earlier in the article and it is not for nothing. Miles Bridges comes straight from the 2018 Draft and like his friends Trae Young and Luka, he has been eligible for an extension since the start of the summer. Only here, nothing has yet been signed between Miles Ponts and his franchise. How much is the human poster worth? What deal does he deserve? A contract of 67 million over 4 years à la Lauri Markkanen or a kichta of 125 million over 5 years like John Collins? A compromise of 100 million over 5 years? Nothing says Kupchak is ready to open the wallet at this point for his winger. LaMelo’s best mate has shot 12.7 points and 6 rebounds – and 18 posters – on average this season, all while shooting 50.3% including 40% from distance and 86.7% on throws. Very clean percentages for a fairly low production therefore, symbol of the complexity and ambiguity around the Bridges file. Will Mitch secure the services of Clint Capela’s daron in the long term during the season? Will he limit the breakage by setting up a transfer to the trade deadline ? Or is he waiting for next summer to see the deals offered by the other franchises? And in the latter case, will he match the offer or let his tattooed athlete go for free? Many, many (too many) questions that will quickly have to be answered by Mr. Mitchou.
- P.J. Washington : situation more or less similar to Bridges but with a year late. Pidjé will be able to sign an extension next year but the question of tarot also arises here. PJ Capital displays stats quite similar to that of his buddy Miles (12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds) and also plays in positions 3-4. Traffic jams and trench warfare in sight elsewhere on these posts with Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jalen McDaniels also present. There are clearly more candidates – and talent – than there is room, and they are therefore going to have to be earned. Washington is entering a kind of contract year and will have to fight and progress much more than he has done this year to prove that he is indeed the man of the situation – and of the future – in Charlotte. In the end, if Mitch Kupchak cannot decide who the lucky winners are, the spots will probably go to the less greedy, while the most in love with big bundles will be dismissed and will go to touch their jackpot – or not – in another franchise.
- Mason Plumlee : we are not going to lie, brother Plumlee was brought back to Charlotte only because there is no better for the moment in the racket. At station 5, Mason will be timidly accompanied by the rookie Kai Jones and the sophomore Vernon Carey Jr., it’s light as a rotation, very light even. Ok James Borrego loves the small ball, but an interior presence is still essential nonetheless in a squad (isn’t it the Rockets 2019-2020). The Pivot is already 32 years old and doesn’t have much to do with the franchise other than playing babysitters there, but not sure that’s what he likes. We would see much better MP with a contender leaving the bench to try to nab a ring rather than with the Hornets, to whip to play the first round of the Playoffs to the max. A transfer of Plums in exchange for a younger pivot and more logically integrated into the Hornets project is therefore to be expected in the coming months. Especially since his second unsecured season does not cost much in view of the level of play of Daron, enough to attract the attention of other GMs in the League.
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