Grading the Hornets' Offseason So Far

It's been a quiet offseason in the Queen City, at least in terms of roster moves. The same can't be said with a pair of off-the-court incidents involving Montrezl Harrell and Miles Bridges. Not to mention, the chaotic two month long coaching search.

Today, we're going to focus on how GM Mitch Kupchak and the Hornets' front office have handled the offseason by grading each phase.

Draft: A-

I'm very hard on draft grades, so this is a bit unusual for me to hand out a grade so high. I know the popular decision amongst the fan base would have been to draft Jalen Duren and move the 15th pick along with some veteran contracts, but Mark Williams is going to be a fine player.

Is he going to be a cornerstone of the franchise? Maybe, maybe not. But getting this good of a defensive player inside in the middle of the first round is exactly what the Hornets needed. He will help Charlotte immediately on the defensive end and will only get better with experience on the offensive end of the floor.

Although it was a second round pick, I loved Charlotte's selection of Bryce McGowens. Had he stayed another year at Nebraska and expanded his game, he would have been a surefire first round pick in 2023. Some even thought he could slip into the back end of the first this year. No one expected him to slide all the way to the 40th pick.

At 6'7", he gives Charlotte another long, athletic guard that has a knack to score the ball. Obviously, he needs to become a better playmaker in terms of creating for others and that will take some time after being the only real threat with the ball at Nebraska. Defensively, there are some intriguing things there. He's not going to be an All-NBA defensive team type of guard but he should be able to hold his own as he learns the system and gains experience.

Free Agency: C-

Mitch Kupchak told us a few months back that there wasn't going to be any "splash" signings in free agency and to the man's credit, he has stuck to his word.

First and foremost, they wanted to make bringing back Miles Bridges, Cody Martin, and Jalen McDaniels a priority. They picked up the team option on McDaniels contract and also gave Martin a four-year, $32 million deal. Who knows what will happen with the Miles Bridges situation but it doesn't seem like the Hornets feel any pressure to be aggressive in potentially finding a replacement. If Bridges does not return to Charlotte, the assumption is that PJ Washington slides into the four spot of the starting lineup.

Despite sticking to his word, I felt like this team needed to make a couple of additions in free agency in order to "take the next step" as a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. The backup point guard spot is still a question mark and a 3 & D wing would have made a lot of sense. I don't see how this group will improve on its win total from last season with essentially the same roster plus a couple of rookies who may or may not see legit minutes. There is still plenty of time to make some moves, so I won't go any lower on my grade just yet.

Trade: F

This is where the Hornets should have taken the opportunity to unload on a couple of big contracts.

Gordon Hayward hasn't been able to stay on the floor, missing 61 games in his two years with the team. How could anyone be interested in him? Well, he's too talented of a player to not to take a chance on, especially if you're a title contender that has cap space available. The Hornets may not get the return that they would like in a Hayward trade but a 32-year-old injury prone wing isn't going to help the Hornets improve. If anything, he's taking up valuable minutes for younger guys.

Terry Rozier is another player that could have been moved this offseason and the Hornets likely would have received a decent package for him.

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