Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak on the draft luxury this team can’t yet afford
Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak calls drafting for position a luxury he can’t afford.
“We have some nice pieces that we like, but to compete in this league at a high level, our talent level isn’t where we need it to be,” Kupchak said in a Friday interview with The Observer. “I don’t feel we have the luxury of being able to, at this point, pick-and-choose the position” of greatest need.
The Hornets and 13 other NBA teams will participate in the weighted draft lottery Thursday, determining the top of the Oct. 16 draft. The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects moved the draft back from its original June 25 date.
The Hornets could luck into a top-4 selection, but based on their 23-42 record they are most likely to select 8th (34.5 percent chance) or 9th (32.1 percent). They could also drop back to the 10th, 11th or 12th pick.
Kupchak says this draft pool is deep enough that the Hornets would get a solid player at No. 8 or 9. There is no clear top player in this draft, as there was last year in Duke’s Zion Williamson. There also isn’t a clear delineation in the second half of the 30-pick first round, in Kupchak’s view.
“You’ll be able to get a player in the top 35 to 38. It’s deep in that regard,” Kupchak said. “I don’t know if past eight or 10, anybody will be able to say it’s easy to define. You get into an area where maybe you can get the same guy at No. 25 that you can get at 16 or 17.”
Second-round success
The Hornets will have the 32nd overall pick (from Cleveland via the Los Angeles Clippers) and a pick in the 50s (TBD) from the Boston Celtics. They owe their own second-round pick to the New York Knicks (39th overall).
One of the significant improvements since Kupchak took over in the spring of 2018 has been finding productive players outside the first round. Point guard Devonte Graham (34th pick in 2018) became a starter and the leading scorer in his second season. Rookies Cody and Caleb Martin (an undrafted free agent) and Jalen McDaniels were all in the rotation when the season was halted March 11.
Asked what has changed, Kupchak praised director of player personnel Larry Jordan for his organizational skills and coach James Borrego for his collaborative nature.
“Larry Jordan does not get enough credit. He kind of goes below the radar,” Kupchak said of Jordan, brother of team owner Michael Jordan. “He oversees the draft. Larry does a great job of making sure that the Earth is covered; organizing, reporting and conducting the meetings.”
Kupchak said Borrego’s flexible approach has aided the development relationship with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G-League affiliate.
“Our coach does not hesitate to send a player to the G-League or to bring players from the G-League and give them actual minutes,” Kupchak said. “That is key — a coach that buys into player development and is patient enough and confident enough to actually do what he is doing.”
Salary cap space
The Hornets should have significant salary cap space this offseason for the first time in several years. However, because of the plunge in league-wide revenues due to the pandemic, there is no reliable projection how much cap room they’ll have.
The collective bargaining agreement might even have to be rewritten before the anticipated start of free-agency Oct. 18.
None of that impacts Kupchak’s view on free-agency: They aren’t far enough along in the rebuild to go on a spending spree come October.
“Even though we’ll have cap room, I don’t feel free-agency is the answer for us at this time,” Kupchak said. “So that talent is going to have to come from the draft or a trade.”
If the cap doesn’t rise above this season’s $109 million per team, or even falls a bit, the Hornets could still be $20 million or more below the cap. They could leverage other teams’ needs to trim payroll. That could mean acquiring a quality veteran without giving up much in trade or absorbing a contract in return for a draft pick.
“We don’t know what the cap is going to be. Fortunately for us, we’re not contract-heavy,” said Kupchak.
He knows his phone will ring come October, with teams looking to deal.
“Cap room is generally considered a valuable asset,” Kupchak said. “Whether it’s to sign players or acquire a player in trade.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak on the draft luxury this team can’t yet afford."
