3 pending free agents for Charlotte Hornets fans to monitor during NBA's stretch run

A trio of free agent options for the Charlotte Hornets.

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The calendar has just flipped to March and spring is slowly coming into focus in Queen City, but Charlotte Hornets fans should already have one eye on the summer. As the team toils its way through another lost season, the familiar feeling of keeping tabs on potential draft targets and free agents while monitoring the progress of young players in one-sided losses is a familiar one for those who follow the Hornets.

While Charlotte will be operating as an over-the-cap team without any cap dollars to spend on outside free agents, they will have the ability to yield the non-taxpayer mid-level exception this summer. According to Spotrac, that exception will allow the Hornets to spend $14,105,000 on a single player, or split it between a maximum of four this offseason.

With that being said, here are three veteran free agents to watch as playoff and tanking races heat up across the association.

1. Ty Jerome - Wing - Cleveland Cavaliers

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If it wasn't for Cade Cunningham's star turn and Payton Pritchard's elite three-point stroke, Jerome would have an argument to be named the NBA's Most Improved Player and its Sixth Man of the Year. He's coming off the bench for a bonafide title contender in Cleveland and playing his role to perfection.

On the surface, Jerome doesn't wield a deep bag of high-level talents on the floor, but he does just about everything at a more than passable level, making him the perfect connective wing for a great team to lean on. He pressures the rim with a slo-mo in-between game, he keeps the ball moving in the flow of Cleveland's offense, he shoots it well-enough, and he has enough strength to hang on the perimeter against opposing wings.

Jerome's $2.5 million annual salary has turned into one of the league's biggest bargains and he's due for a nice payday come July. The Charlotte Hornets are in dire need of good veteran hoopers to surround their core with, and Jerome fits the bill, and the team's vision, nicely.

2. Nickeil Alexander-Walker - Wing - Minnesota

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Alexander-Walker had Charlotte's guards in the torture chamber on Wednesday night. He's a versatile wing defender who does all of the dirty work that Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson swoon over. Think of NAW as the highest-end outcome of what Josh Green and Josh Okogie have brought to the Hornets in 2024-25.

He plays a low-usage, high-efficiency role off of the Timberwolves bench, but would fit nicely in Charlotte's starting lineup alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller as a supercharged version of Josh Green. Alexander-Walker has developed into a deadly three-point shooter (40% overall, 50% from the corners), but his length, lateral agility, and compete level on defense make him one of the Hornets' ideal options in free agency.

Jake LaRavia - Power Forward - Sacramento

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When considering free agents Charlotte should target, ones that can confidently affect winning basketball on the offensive end deserve merit. LaRavia is that guy.

The former Grizzly turned King is a malleable, connective offensive piece that thrives as a play-extender and play-finisher alongside teammates that can create offense at a high-level. He's seen limited action in his young NBA career, but he boasts the profile of a player poised for a breakout with more minutes.

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