NBA Rumors: Hornets to move on from GM Rich Cho, pursue Mitch Kupchak
NBA Rumors: The Charlotte Hornets are expected to move on from general manager Rich Cho this summer, while pursuing former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak
In an attempt to shuffle things up, Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to make a few front office changes this summer.
One of them being not brining back current general manager Rich Cho. According to ESPN, Jordan and the Hornets are expected to pursue former Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak as the team’s potential new GM.
Cho has been with the Hornets since 2011, but has made some really head-scratching moves since. And that, coupled with a few other factors, has left the Hornets in no-man’s land in the NBA. They’re essentially in NBA purgatory – they’re not bad enough to get an impact draft pick, but aren’t good enough, either, to make any type of noise in the Eastern Conference.
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Bad.
Thus, Jordan needs to make some sort of shakeup this summer. Cho, per this report, appears to be one of those casualties.
"[via ESPN]The Charlotte Hornets are unlikely to bring back general manager Rich Cho on a new contract next season, league sources told ESPN.Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to pursue former Los Angeles Lakersgeneral manager Mitch Kupchak to partner in the front office with assistant GM Buzz Peterson, essentially replacing Cho, league sources said."
No matter who is brought in, no matter what type of experience they have, getting the Hornets out of their cap mess will be difficult. It’s not something that will be envied, either. Although, the pull of working with Jordan might be enough for him to snag a big name like Kupchak.
The Hornets have nearly $80 million locked up in Nicolas Batum over the next three seasons, and owe Dwight Howard $24 million next season. On top of those dubious deals, Kemba Walker is due for an extension after next season – and he won’t be cheap.
Whoever the Hornets bring in to be the new general manager is going to have to navigate through these tough waters.
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Not to mention that landing free agents, even with a ton of a cap space, is never an easy task for Charlotte.
The Hornets have a big summer ahead of them, and it seems like brining in a new GM is at the top of their to-do list.