Why should Kemba Walker feel obliged to help fix Charlotte Hornets’ salary cap?
Should the Charlotte Hornets’ clogged-up salary cap be Kemba Walker’s problem?
It’s understandable Hornets fans would love some solution that would keep All-Star point guard Walker in Charlotte, and still allow the franchise to add talent around him. But as Walker approaches unrestricted free-agency for the first time, should he be asked to carry any burden for past Hornets mistakes?
That issue leads this week’s Hornets mailbag:
Q Any chance Walker voluntarily takes less than the supermax to help build around him?
A. Of course there’s a chance. But is it fair to put that on him?
Walker made $12 million each of the past three seasons. That is far below his market value as an All-Star each of those seasons. That wasn’t the Hornets’ problem — Walker chose to sign that contract before the 2015-16 season — but now Walker and his agent have the leverage. He shouldn’t be obliged to mitigate the Hornets having overpaid other players still under contract.
If the Hornets offer Walker anything less than the supermax ($221 million over five years) he qualified for by being named All-NBA recently, it better be a small discount. And, the Hornets better have a very specific plan for how they would use that discount to improve the roster soon.
Q. Should the fan base have faith that Kupchak makes a successful draft pick?
A. I thought general manager Mitch Kupchak, who previously ran the Los Angeles Lakers for about 20 years, oversaw a good draft last June.
You can debate whether point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (whom they drafted and immediately dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers) would have been a better option than forward Miles Bridges. But Bridges was a rookie who started 25 games. And Devonte Graham is certainly an upgrade on the Hornets’ sorry history with second-round picks (Kupchak traded up, with the Atlanta Hawks, to acquire Graham).
Kupchak made an exceptionally cost-effective free-agent signing, adding veteran point guard Tony Parker on a $5 million salary in July. Kupchak didn’t make a deadline trade in February, but we don’t know all the particulars of what teams wanted from the Hornets, in return for veteran help in the playoff pursuit.
The Hornets have the 12th overall pick in the first round, and the 36th and 52nd overall picks in the second round. We’ll see how this summer goes, with so much at stake regarding Walker and the future.
Q. With teams (presumably) willing to trade out of the first round, would it be worth it for the Hornets to buy an extra pick this year?
A. As I wrote in a column over the weekend, the 2019 draft isn’t viewed as particularly deep. So it’s quite possible teams picking in the bottom third of the first round will be willing to trade or sell those picks. Rookie-scale contracts are relatively cheap ways to develop young talent.
But giving up millions of dollars or a future pick to add a pick in the 20s next month only makes sense if Kupchak has conviction a guy still available is a diamond in the rough. Don’t feel a frenzy to buy just because you see a clearance sale sign.
Q. Is there any chance Michael Kidd-Gilchrist turns down his player option (for next season) for a bigger role elsewhere?
A. Kidd-Gilchrist said after the season that’s possible, but I’ll be surprised if he actually forfeits a $13 million guarantee for next season to become a free agent. I don’t believe he’d make that money back from another team this summer.
However, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kidd-Gilchrist were to accept a buyout next February if he’s not playing much here. That would involve him giving up some salary in return for his release to sign elsewhere,
Q. Of the current young Hornets players, do you anticipate anyone making a significant leap next season?
A. Bridges — I was encouraged by how much more confident and assertive he looked during the last month of the season. He had five games of four or more assists in his last dozen games, which demonstrates he’s seeing plays he didn’t earlier in his rookie season. And he looked more decisive defensively, which was a big problem the first half of the season.
Kupchak told Bridges not to get complacent this summer because he finished the season as a starter, and I don’t think that will be a problem. After Bridges finished way out of contention for an All-Rookie selection, he criticized himself in a recent Twitter post. So every reason to think Bridges is highly motivated to keep improving.
Q. You think the Lakers would take Malik Monk, Frank Kaminsky and the Hornets’ 2022 first-round pick for the fourth pick?
A. I don’t think that’s anywhere close to enough compensation for the fourth overall pick. Also, Kaminsky is a free agent (the Hornets will have the option to restrict him with a $4.5 million qualifying offer), so he doesn’t have a contract to trade.
Q. Do you think Joe Chealey and J.P. Macura (the Hornets’ developmental players on two-way contracts last season) would get minutes if the Hornets lose some of their starting lineup to free-agency?
A. If free agents Walker and Jeremy Lamb sign elsewhere, I can’t imagine that not signaling a significant rebuild for the Hornets. So naturally it would open minutes for young players.
However, the Hornets already have plenty of other candidates for those minutes in Bridges, Dwayne Bacon, Malik Monk, Graham and whomever they select in the draft. The burden would still be on Macura and Chealey, neither of whom was chosen in the 2018 draft, to prove they deserve minutes in the Hornets’ rotation.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Why should Kemba Walker feel obliged to help fix Charlotte Hornets’ salary cap?."