Charles Lee's past success in Milwaukee, Boston, make this free agent an intriguing fit in Charlotte

Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson covet versatility. But in the modern NBA, who doesn't?

Lee came to the Charlotte Hornets with vast experience coaching championship-level teams that boasted indelible positional versatility, specifically at the forward and center positions. In Milwaukee, Lee watched Mike Budenholzer rotate Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the front court, making sure one floor spacing big on the floor was on the court at all times.

In Boston, he watched Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum man the power forward and center positions on their way to an NBA championship.

When looking at Lee's most successful teams, two trends emerge: the employment of Jrue Holiday, and the deployment of floor spacing big men.

While replicating the first of those two trends is unlikely (but not impossible) for the Hornets, the second is more attainable, and a 6'11" restricted free agent from Memphis could be the fix Lee needs in Charlotte.

Santi Aldama's free agent profile

Aldama is the type of versatile, floor-spacing big man that has owned the NBA playoffs. 'Double big' lineups have dominated the past few months, but the term is used somewhat incorrectly. Outside of Houston, who played the bash brothers Steven Adams and Alperen Senġun together, most of the 'double big' lineups include a player that can operate on the perimeter when his team possesses the ball.

Santi Aldama is exactly that.

The veteran forward shot 36% on three point attempts in 2024-25 on five attempts per contest. His counting statistics from this past season aren't much to write home about (12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists), but advanced statistics believe that Aldama has a load of untapped potential.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Memphis performed four points per 100 possessions better when Aldama was on the court, a 76th percentile number among NBA forwards. He was efficent from all of Cleaning the Glasses defined shooting zones, but he shined at the rim, shooting 73% on shots within two feet of the cup (albeit on a small number of attempts).

The sell for Aldama is this: Memphis rarely played him at his most effective position. Center.

The Grizzlies front court duo of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey was potent. In 1827 possessions with that pair manning the power forward and center positions, Memphis was +13.1 points per 100 possessions. Compare that to an Edey/Aldama front court pairing (-1.6 points per 100 possessions), and a Jackson Jr./Aldama front court pairing (+4.3 points per 100 possessions), and you begin understand why Taylor Jenkins opted to run Aldama out as a small forward/power forward hybrid for a large chunk (78%) of his minutes.

However, in those rare minutes that Memphis played Aldama at center, the Grizzlies were dominant. They blitzed opponents, scoring at a 96th percentile clip while playing above average defense. Aldama's floor-spacing skill-set paired nicely with his size as a nominal rim protector on defense, making Memphis a tough puzzle to crack when they played 'small ball,' a funny term when discussing the team trotting out a near seven-foot center.

The fit in Charlotte is seamless. Assuming we live in a world where Mark Williams gets traded, Aldama can join the Hornets' three-headed center rotation as a change up to the fastball and curveball that Moussa Diabate and Jusuf Nurkic present.

When he's not playing center, Aldama can operate as a perimeter-oriented power forward to spell Miles Bridges that will pair nicely on both ends with Nurkic and Diabate, giving Charlotte a player that can both operate as a low man helper on defense and floor spacer on offense.

Projecting Santi Aldama's contract

NBA salary cap guru, Keith Smith of Spotrac, projects Aldama's (a restricted free agent) upcoming contract to be worth four-years, $60 million, just north of the non-taxpayer MLE that Charlotte can wield in the market this summer.

Smith goes on to say that Aldama could be on the move via a sign-and-trade, similar to the deal that sent current Hornet Grant Williams from Boston to Dallas in the summer of 2023. The Mavericks acquired Williams and sent Boston a pair of second round picks. It was a three-team deal that also included the San Antonio Spurs, but the framework is something that Jeff Peterson can easily replicate due to his deep reserve of future second round picks.

Expecting Aldama to become a star in his new role is a pipe dream, but expecting a jump in impact and efficiency in a system that suits his play style is a realistic thought. Aldama is a neat fit in Charlotte's rotation (especially when Grant Williams is sidelined), and is a prime target for Lee and Peterson to hone in on come July.

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