The Charlotte Hornets parted ways with James Borrego this offseason, which was unexpected after they signed him to a contract extension less than a year ago.
Sources tell Marc Stein of Substack that "player discipline on and off the floor" was one of the concerns from the front office.
The Hornets also were blown out in each of their Play-In games this season and last.
Borrego was hired as head coach of the Hornets in 2018.
The Charlotte Hornets have fired James Borrego as head coach.
“I want to thank JB for his hard work and commitment during these past four seasons,” said Kupchak. “Beyond his work as a coach, he is a tremendous person. I wish him and his family the best in the future. These decisions are always difficult. Having said that, we have a talented, young core of players which has me very excited about the future of the Hornets. We will begin the search for our new head coach immediately.”
Borrego had a 138-163 record as head coach of the Hornets.
The Hornets reached the Play-In in each of the past two seasons, but were blown out in both games.
The Los Angeles Lakers are widely expected to trade Russell Westbrook this offseason. It's also expected that any deal involving Westbrook will bring back long-term salary to Los Angeles.
Despite being rumored to have interest in trading Westbrook to the Charlotte Hornets, it's unlikely the Lakers will take back Gordon Hayward in a deal. The Lakers are likely to prioritize players with cleaner injury histories, given the recent availability issues they've had with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Hayward has missed 71 games of 154 games in his first two seasons with the Hornets. He also missed considerable time with the Boston Celtics over the prior three seasons.
One of the side effects of the Play-In Tournament was the major impact it had on the 2022 NBA Draft board. This season, multiple teams saw their 2022 draft pick situation change based on the results of the Play-In Tournament.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Atlanta Hawks, their pick went from being tied for 16/17 to 14. That pick was lottery-protected, so Cleveland will now keep the pick vs delivering it to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers can receive a first-round selection from the Cavs next season, but it is also lottery-protected. It turns into two second-round picks if not conveyed in 2023.
The New Orleans Pelicans victory over the LA Clippers had an even bigger impact to the draft board. The Pelicans pick went from 11 to 15. That changed who New Orleans conveys that pick to from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Charlotte Hornets. Portland will now receive a top-4 protected Milwaukee Bucks (via New Orleans) in 2025.
The Clippers dropping into the lottery gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a second lottery selection. That pick is also non-protected. It's important to remember that LA once conveyed the first overall selection to Cleveland when they jumped to the top of the draft lottery.
The full pre-lottery first round order is:
Ties will be broken by random drawing on Monday, April 18.
The Brooklyn Nets can receive the Philadelphia 76ers first-round selection, or Brooklyn can defer to receiving that pick at the 2023 draft instead.
LaMelo Ball will change his jersey number next season from No. 2 to No. 1.
"It's supposed to [happen]," Ball said. "I ain't supposed to wear two ever again in my life. If I see a two, ah man, I don't know what I'm going to do, I ain't going to lie to you. I just ain't never been two. It's just weird for me. It just don't feel like you playing, for real. Like, I don't know who this is. I don't know who number two is. I know my brother, that's it. No other number twos."
Ball said the change was supposed to happen this year but it did not to go through.
When Ball entered the NBA, Malik Monk wore No. 1 for the Charlotte Hornets but he departed for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021 offseason.
Miles Bridges has been fined $50,000 for throwing his mouthpiece into the spectator stands, which resulted in the mouthpiece striking a fan.
The incident occurred after Bridges received two technical fouls and was ejected in Charlotte’s 132-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on April 13 at State Farm Arena.
Miles Bridges declined a four-year, $60 million contract extension offer from the Charlotte Hornets last offseason, which appears to have been an excellent business decision.
Bridges is expected to command a maximum salary this offseason that could reach $173 million over five years.
League personnel believe the Hornets intend to match any offer sheet Bridges may sign as a restricted free agent.
Because Charlotte is in that situation, teams could potentially be dissuaded from making an earnest attempt at signing Bridges, or it could encourage a rival to force the franchise to pay his full max.
Bridges averaged 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists this past season.
The future of Mitch Kupchak as general manager of the Charlotte Hornets is uncertain.
Kupchak was on the same contract length as James Borrego, but he has not signed an extension unlike the head coach.
Word of a potential departure or transition to an advisory role for Kupchak has been around for a few seasons, but there seems to be more credence to the scenario.
Two of the most commonly discussed names to replace Kupchak are Buzz Peterson and Marc Eversley. Peterson was a college roommate of Michael Jordan at North Carolina in the early 1980s. Eversley worked for Nike before working in NBA front offices.
The Hornets are in the play-in for the second straight season.
The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament field has been set.
Eastern Conference:
7 vs 8 game - Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets - Tuesday
9 vs 10 game - Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks - Wednesday
Winner of 7 vs 8 will be the 7-seed. Loser will host the Winner of 9 vs 10 on Friday. The winner of that game will be the 8-seed.
Western Conference:
7 vs 8 game - LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves - Tuesday
9 vs 10 game - San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans - Wednesday
Winner of 7 vs 8 will be the 7-seed. Loser will host the Winner of 9 vs 10 on Friday. The winner of that game will be the 8-seed.
Charlotte Hornets wing Gordon Hayward continues to be plagued by injuries. Charlotte announced that Hayward will miss the team's regular season finale, as well as the Play-In Tournament due to continued discomfort in his left foot.
Hayward missed 22 consecutive games from early-February through March due to a sprained ankle and foot pain. He returned to play nearly 17 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 2, but then missed the next three games.
Now, the Hornets say Hayward will be put in a cast to immobilize his left foot. He'll then be re-evaluated in two weeks, with a return possible if Charlotte advances to the playoffs.
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