Rich

Cho

The Hornets parted ways with Cho as their general manager back in 2018. He is currently an executive with the Memphis Grizzlies and is believed to have a solid relationship with Rose. It will be very interesting to see what direction Rise goes when naming his executive team. It’s assumed he will surround himself with seasoned professionals.

“With eight free agents, I don’t know what’s going to happen, so we’re just trying to get more depth,” Cho said. "[Need] is a hard question to answer because we have so many free agents and don’t know how it’s going to play out.” The Hornets have eight players hitting free agency, so expect them to take the best player available rather than drafting for team needs. Cho also hinted that he will explore moving up, moving down or trading completely out of the draft.

“It will be a lot different,” Cho said. “Last summer we had tons of free agents [to consider re-signing] and cap room. This summer we have just a couple of spots open.” Once the action begins, Charlotte is expected to prioritize finding a capable backup to play behind Kemba Walker.

Cho said that the Hornets can address their needs via free agency and trades, so they will wisely take the best player available with the ninth pick. Cho added that the Hornets need some 3-point shooting and that he loves guys who can defend, so it will be interesting to see what they end up doing this summer. On a side note, Cho said the Hornets are willing to move up or down in the draft and that he expects a lot of activity in the coming weeks from other teams, so it looks like we are in for an exciting summer.

The re-branded Hornets hold picks Nos. 9, 24 and 45 in the draft. They’re also in position to fill needs via free agency, thanks largely to the expiration of Ben Gordon’s contract (worth $13.2 million last season). Among other options, veteran PG Ramon Sessions has said that he’d be happy to return to Charlotte as a free agent.

It is not a surprising development, considering the Hornets are on pace to miss the postseason despite having one of the league’s highest payrolls and little cap flexibility moving forward. Woj is reporting that Charlotte is expected to pursue former Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to partner in the front office with assistant GM Buzz Peterson.