After losing franchise centerpiece Kemba Walker this offseason to the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Hornets have a new youth-focused squad that will almost certainly be in the running for the top spot in the 2020 NBA Draft lottery next offseason.

The Hornets made a myriad of moves in the 2019 NBA Draft, one of which was the selection of Jalen McDaniels out of San Diego State with the 52nd overall pick in the second round of the draft.

Now, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the team has tendered a minimum salary to the second round pick, though it seems unlikely that the 21-year-old will sign it.

“That tender offer [for McDaniels] is only for a rookie minimum salary (about $900,000) and is not guaranteed, so it’s unlikely McDaniels would sign such a contract. It’s possible McDaniels, a 6-10 forward out of San Diego State, could still end up in Hornets training camp either on a two-way contract or some other minimum deal.”

Indeed, the Hornets invested considerably in combo bigs in the draft lottery when they selected PJ Washington out of Kentucky. However, McDaniels had been a widely recruited prospect with a first-round grade for much of the pre-draft process.

McDaniels played two years at San Diego State, peaking in his sophomore year with 15.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 31 minutes per contest, according to Sports Reference.