Charlotte Hornets: Do-Or0Die Offseason Looms

In an ideal world, the Charlotte Hornets are a beautiful, perfectly crafted wedding cake.

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One doesn’t have to be a chef to understand that when a recipe doesn’t work the first time, it probably won’t work the second.

When it doesn’t work the second time, it probably won’t work the third.

And after the 82nd attempt, when only 33 cakes have turned out as they were supposed to, it’s probably time to abandon — or at the very least, modify — the flawed recipe.

Well thank God that Hornets general manager Rich Cho wasn’t the man who made your wedding cake, because the dude would be an awful, awful chef.

The Hornets had a pretty good thing going in the 2013-14 campaign, picking up 43 wins, but Cho decided to let Josh McRoberts — the table under the cake keeping it from toppling over — walk to Miami. Instead, he decided to pursue first Gordon Hayward, then Lance Stephenson, who ended up being a rotten, moldy, no-good ingredient that tipped an already falling cake over the edge.

Cake metaphors aside: Cho, in hindsight, simply didn’t his job well last year. His offseason additions of Stephenson, Marvin Williams, and Brian Roberts all turned out to be overpriced and non-impactful, and he sat back and watched the Hornets slip out of the playoff picture this season, only making one small deal a few days before the deadline.

Missing the playoffs was certainly hard for Charlotte fans, but the road ahead could be filled with even more disappointment; it’s all on Cho. This summer, for better or worse, is a do-or-die offseason for the Charlotte Hornets.

With $46 million in guaranteed contracts — a number that will probably be closer to $65 million with Gerald Henderson and Al Jefferson expected to opt in for next season — it’s tough to imagine the Hornets are going to completely disassemble their roster, meaning they’re going to have to make some big moves lest they find themselves, once again, sitting in the lottery room, waiting to hear their name called.

October 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots the basketball against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 125-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

So if they aren’t rebuilding, that means it’s yet another summer of reloading. This time, it’s imperative that they get it right. Unfortunately, none of this summer’s top free agents have been at all connected to Charlotte.

Draymond Green could be a potential target, but as a bonafide Defensive Player of the Year candidate and a developing offensive player with excellent size, he could demand a hefty contract in an already restricted free agency.

The other realistic marquee free agents aren’t easily attainable either; Goran Dragic has a player option, but he will probably be offered an extension by the Miami Heat. DeAndre Jordan is rumored to have interest in Dallas, but he could end up staying in L.A. if they make a deep playoff run.

Brook Lopez and Greg Monroe are potential frontcourt options, and Tobias Harris would be a good pickup, but he’s restricted like Green.

Unfortunately, with the window closing for Charlotte, and the team in limbo, the free agent market couldn’t be much worse.

Which brings us to the alternative: player acquisition via trade(s).

Cho, for all his mistakes last summer, actually made a smart move by picking up Mo Williams in the middle of last season. For just Gary Neal and a second-round pick, Charlotte was able to acquire the services of one of the best backup point guards in the league. It was a pleasant surprise, as Cho’s track record with trades in the previous few seasons hadn’t been great.

The Wolves, of course, trading a legit building block in Thaddeus Young to Brooklyn for an ancient Kevin Garnett demonstrates some sort of front office incompetence (they lost to Billy King, for heaven’s sake) and undermines Cho’s single accomplishment from the past season, but nonetheless, the Hornets GM saw an opportunity and capitalized on it.

The question is, can he do it again?

There are, of course, numerous potential paths Cho can head down, should he decide to pursue a trade. The Hornets certainly have the assets to pull of a game-changer. Expiring deals, like Marvin Williams’ worth $7 million, as well as young, high-upside guys — Jeff Taylor, Cody Zeller, and P.J. Hairston among them — serve as excellent trade bait, and someone like Kemba Walker could be even more enticing.

Dec 22, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

With some Hornets fans realizing Kemba Walker may not be the long term solution at point guard, Ty Lawson — the Nuggets’ reportedly disgruntled point guard — has been a name that’s floated around the Twittersphere the past few days, although no legit rumors have surfaced.

Trading for Lawson, potentially packaging Walker and another asset (Cody Zeller maybe), would be a high-risk, high-reward move for Charlotte. Lawson is now 27 years old, and for a player that relies so dearly on his speed, his game may not translate well as he gets older. Still, he’s been a fringe All-Star for the past three seasons, and he’s a double-double threat every night.

Trading two young assets for one older one isn’t very sensible on paper, but that could be the type of shakeup the Hornets need this summer. There are other roads to pursue, but Lawson seems like a logical option.

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