The Charlotte Hornets Disaster

Ever since Michael Jordan bought the Charlotte Hornets they only have made the playoffs 3 times. Of those 3 times, they never made it to the second round and got swept in 2 of those series. The Hornets have had a very difficult time since returning to Charlotte in 2004. They have had very little success and only made the playoffs 3 times in total since 2004. The Hornets also have had the worst record of all-time percentage wise with a win percentage of .106.

The Hornets have dug themselves into a huge hole with giving awful contracts to players who aren't living up to those contacts. They also have had draft picks who haven't panned out exactly how they've hoped. The Hornets were all ready to pick Donovan Mitchell in the 2017 draft, until Michael Jordan stepped in and said to take Malik Monk instead. Monk was a very good college player, but in the pros he fell short to expectations. In his rookie year Monk averaged 6.7 points per game, and so far in his sophomore year he's averaging 9.4 points. Monk was suppose to come in and help take some of the scoring load off of Kemba Walker, but that hasn't happened.

Kemba Walker is on a tear this season averaging 25 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.3 rebounds. Walker is  currently the 13th highest scorer in the league. Kemba Walker was voted to be a starter in the All-Star game this season, and has been in talks for MVP. Walker is the best player in Charlotte and could be changing teams this offseason. Next season the Hornets have to pay $102 million in contracts, which doesn't give them much room to sign any new players. The Hornets are in a race to make sure they resign Kemba Walker.

Walker has a lot of options this offseason, with the Knicks, Clippers, and Lakers all have a realistic shot. According to the Charlotte Observer, the Dallas Mavericks are the biggest threats to steal Kemba from Charlotte. The Mavericks are operating at an aggressive position for Walker. Mark Cuban is an aggressive owner, who has a persona around the league as an owner you'd like to play for. The Mavericks have enough salary cap space to offer Walker a max contact, and is the teams top priority this offseason.

Mitch Kupchak, Hornets GM, is under a lot of pressure this offseason. He has to somehow convince his superstar player, Kemba Walker, to stay in Charlotte. If Walker does leave the Charlotte Hornets will drop in attendance rate. According to ESPN, the Hornets are currently 23rd in attendance per game, after Walker's departure they could drop to potentially last place.

Without Walker the Hornets have no true star to advertise to the city of Charlotte. This team could be face with a complete tailspin of a disaster if Walker does decide to leave. This team has already hurt Michael Jordan's post playing legacy and it's up to Kupchak to fix this problem. They need to draft better, to build better around Walker. The Hornets #1 priority this offseason will be to keep Kemba at all costs.