Taking a look back at what the Charlotte Hornets did right and wrong during the 2018 NBA offseason, including the draft and free agency
After falling stagnant for a second-straight season, in which they failed to make the NBA playoffs and were held to 36 wins, the Charlotte Hornets felt it was time to take the franchise in a different direction when it came to their head coach.
Shortly after the season came to a close, the Hornets elected to move on from Steve Clifford. It was clear that the team needed to move in a different direction and Clifford was clearly not a part of their future.
The Hornets needed to make smart moves this summer, and needed to test the trade waters in an attempt find a way to get out from salary cap hell. Nevertheless, let’s take a look back at how they fared during the offseason.
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Charlotte selected Miles Bridges with their first-round pick, which is pretty much a steal overall. Bridges was selected with the 12th overall pick, and many believed he would be taken ahead of that. Because of a few red flags in his overall game, he fell to the Hornets late in the lottery.
But that’s where the Hornets can take advantage. Adding a player with the talent level of Bridges is something that could play dividends for this franchise as they try to find a new identity.
The Hornets also hired Gregg Popovich disciple James Borrego as the team’s next lead voice. In addition, the Hornets also added veteran Tony Parker to the mix in an attempt to solidify the locker room (editor’s note: that’s actually kind of funny).
Nevertheless, this is the route that the Hornets have taken. They also added Willy Hernangomez to help with their frontcourt.
The second years will be huge for Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk who have shown promise but didn’t exactly have the best of rookie seasons this past year. The Hornets have plenty of things to figure out, but they have some interesting pieces on their roster.