The Charlotte Hornets may have had a terrible 2022-23 campaign, but they have pieces in place that should help facilitate a quick turnaround, especially if they fill their roster's biggest need in the offseason. After all, they aren't beginning from scratch in their rebuilding efforts, as they will still boast the services of LaMelo Ball for the foreseeable future.
Other than Ball, the Hornets still have Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward in town, the productions of whom should stand to improve once their franchise point guard manages to avoid the injury bug. Of course, they can decide to trade one of those two instead, so they could either add more draft picks or more depth pieces, but even if they stand pat, the Hornets should have, at the very least, three solid pieces that should contribute to winning basketball.
Moreover, bigger things are yet to come for young big man Mark Williams, who has started to prove that the Hornets weren't out of their minds when they chose to keep him over Jalen Duren. Nick Richards has been a solid backup center as well.
However, the Hornets collection of quality pieces under contract for next season seems to end there. Cody Martin suffered through an injury-ravaged season, while the team's young pieces, such as James Bouknight and Kai Jones, aren't particularly ready to contribute for a team with playoff aspirations.
Taking the Hornets' alarming lack of depth into account, here are three impending free agents that the Hornets must re-sign in 2023 NBA free agency, especially if they strike out on other big names that could help address their lack of scoring punch.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
When it rains, it pours. Amid the Hornets' struggles to navigate their post-Miles Bridges world, and amid LaMelo Ball's battles with ankle injuries, they also proceeded to lose Kelly Oubre Jr. to a hand injury in late December. Oubre ended up missing 24 straight contests, stopping the lefty wing's career year in its tracks.
For the 2022-23 campaign, Oubre averaged 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals a night in 48 games played, stepping up while taking on a heavier offensive load given the Hornets' injury problems. Those numbers, one would think, could make Oubre a pricier than expected; after all, 20 point scorers don't grow on trees, especially those who stand at 6'7 with a 7'2 wingspan.
However, Oubre has never been the most efficient scorer, and the kind of production he gave the Hornets this past season may not scale well on a team with contending ambitions. Even the Golden State Warriors gave up on Oubre only a season after trading away a conditional first-round pick for him.
So why should the Hornets re-sign Oubre then? The answer is simple: for the kind of money he would command in free agency, and the role he would play for a depleted Hornets team, he should remain well worth the price. And for a team ranked dead last in offensive rating, they simply can't afford to throw away a 20-point scorer that they own the bird rights to.
PJ Washington
PJ Washington, on paper, looks like an enticing small-ball option at the five, given his ability to shoot well from deep as well as his mobility on the perimeter for a guy of his size (6'7). And for stretches, Washington gives the Hornets the defensive versatility they need to hang with perimeter-centric offenses. However, there are key matchups that Washington can't defend well as the five man, and the Hornets coaching staff over the past two seasons have preferred to utilize the 24-year old at the four instead.
There have been hints that the Hornets may be beginning to sour on the four-year pro out of Kentucky, as Washington found himself involved in trade rumors throughout the 2022-23 campaign. Even then, it will be the wise move for the Hornets to keep Washington, if only to protect a valuable asset, either as a trade chip, or someone that could become a part of the next contending iteration of the team.
Washington shouldn't command too big of a contract as well; given the trajectory of his career thus far, a four-year contract around the $50-52 million range, like the Hornets reportedly offered him before the season began, should be a fair enough deal for him.
Dennis Smith Jr.
At this point, it's looking likely that Dennis Smith Jr. never develops a reliable three-point shot. That alone could have accentuated his playmaking, slashing, and defending abilities.
Still, Smith has shown that he could string together stretches of inspired floor general play, especially during the beginning of the season when LaMelo Ball was out.
