After two straight years of being a play-in tournament team, the Charlotte Hornets endured a season from hell during the 2022-23 campaign. Thus, it's important for the Hornets to nail their offseason moves, including their signings in free agency, for the team to at least get back to where they were before a nightmare season.
Of course, adding Brandon Miller into the fray stands out as the Hornets' biggest move of the offseason, although he doesn't count for the purposes of this exercise. With the Hornets leaning towards youth, an uneventful free agency, for the most part, became inevitable for a franchise that's not exactly popular for attracting marquee free agents.
However, that is not to say that the Hornets did not make any major moves. They signed franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball to a five-year extension that could be worth up to a total of $260 million. And, controversy aside, they also brought back Miles Bridges, an important piece of their 43-win 2021-22 team, after the much-maligned highflyer signed the qualifying offer worth $7.9 million.
The Hornets may not be done making moves just yet, as they still have PJ Washington's restricted free agency to sort out in the coming weeks. But at the moment, how have the Hornets fared thus far with their free agency wheelings and dealings?
Here are grades for the Hornets' major free agency moves so far in 2023.
Hornets free agency grades
Extending LaMelo Ball to a five-year, $260 million contract: A
It's not too often that a player of LaMelo Ball's caliber lands in Charlotte. When was the last time that the Hornets boasted the services of a 21-year old floor general who's as deadly a threat from three as he is lethal as a playmaker? Kemba Walker, perhaps? And Walker was already 24 by the time he was in Year 4.
Thus, it was downright imperative for the Hornets to keep a player of Ball's caliber whenever they select one in the draft. That alone makes this rookie extension a huge win, as letting Ball's contract situation fester without resolution could have soured relations between the two parties.
Now comes the question of whether LaMelo Ball could be worth a contract of up to an average annual value of $52 million per year, which is astounding money even with the growing salary cap. And his statistical progression should leave one to believe that he won't be a financial burden on the Hornets' books anytime soon.
Last season, despite suffering one ankle injury after another, Ball still averaged 23.3 points and 8.4 assists — career-bests for the nascent Hornets floor general. But beyond that, it's his progression as a lethal pull-up threat that bodes well for his ascent to superstardom in today's NBA.
Ball took a career-high 10.6 threes per game last year and made 4 of them a night, good for 37.6 percent. While that mark doesn't exactly place him among the elites, the sheer difficulty of his shots in terms of opponent's contest and range, makes that kind of output a remarkable figure.
With more talent and space around him to work with as Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges makes his life easier on the offensive end, it's not a stretch to think that Ball could threaten to average 24-10 next season especially as he puts his injury woes behind him.
Ball's defense needs work, but he already boasts something not a lot of guards can — elite size for his position. At 6'7, Ball is a matchup nightmare. All he needs is to put in more effort, place more of an emphasis on positioning than racking up defensive stats, and being a more stifling presence at the point of attack. But all signs point to a rapid upward trajectory for Ball, and thankfully for the Hornets, his services will be theirs for the next six seasons at the very least.
Signing Miles Bridges to the qualifying offer: B-
If Miles Bridges did not come with any troubling baggage, this would have rated higher, as the Hornets certainly would have given him a long-term extension had he stayed away from controversy. Alas, Bridges did not, leading to his year-long absence from the NBA, and now, he's back on the Hornets on a prove-it, one-year deal after he took the qualifying offer.
Make no mistake about it, Bridges will be a quality addition for the Hornets, boosting their team's on-court product tenfold. He averaged 20.1 points in his last go-round, and his ability to score from all three levels will be a boon to the team that posted the worst offense in the league last season.
But Miles Bridges' off-court dealings certainly leave a bad taste in the mouth. Does Bridges deserve a second chance? Perhaps. As long as he's committed to not making the same mistakes, all the while showing legitimate remorse for his past transgressions, then by all means.
But a one-year deal seems like a no-win proposition for the Hornets, even if they do keep Bridges' Bird rights in the process. If Bridges plays well, he'll be commanding a huge deal in free agency next year, and he could do so with any team he pleases. And if he doesn't, well, the Hornets just drew controversy to the team for no reason, even though the team can just cut him easily if he proves to be too much of a distraction.
B- seems fair, when taking into account everything Bridges will bring to the Hornets next season.
