In 2010, NBA legend Michael Jordan took over as the Charlotte Bobcats controlling owner and has been trying to flip this franchise around into a legit playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Since then, Charlotte has rebranded themselves to the Charlotte Hornets and have made the playoffs just twice, losing both times in the first-round.
Jordan has tried to have his finger-print on a lot of the decision making for the Hornets and has been very much involved with front office efforts, but they still came up short on landing big name free agents every offseason and struggled to find real talent that could be developed in the draft. Over the last few offseasons though, the Hornets have slowly been accumulating young, talented players and may be onto something for this upcoming season.
With over $30M to work with in cap room this offseason and with picks No. 3, No. 32 and No. 56 in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets had a lot of options in terms of improving their roster. They did just that with all of their assets and with the emergence of some young, potential stars on the roster last year, Charlotte has the chance to be one of the better young teams in the NBA.
Devonte Graham was one of the most improved players of the 2019-20 NBA season as he increased his points per game average by 13.5 points, his assists per game by 4.9 assists, and his three-point percentage by almost 10%. A lot of NBA fans felt he was deserving of the 2019-20 NBA Most Improved Player Award, but it was ultimately given to the New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward, Brandon Ingram.
With the emergence of Graham, along with other young and talented players such as Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, and P.J. Washington, the Charlotte Hornets have a core of young players to continue to grow and build with. This offseason, they not only brought in a former All-Star wing to lead the team but also brought in one of the top draft prospects in recent years.
The growth this team has made in the offseason is truly remarkable seeing that they have been near the bottom of the Eastern Conference for so many years, but that is about to change for sure. The Eastern Conference is a lot weaker than the likes of the Western Conference in the NBA and any team really has a chance at the bottom few playoff spots in the East. Charlotte could easily be one of those teams that sneaks into the playoffs this upcoming year and it is because of their offseason additions.
So what exactly did the Charlotte Hornets do this offseason to improve their roster? Let’s take a look at the Hornets key offseason additions and how it will impact them moving into the 2020-21 NBA season.
