The Charlotte Hornets got blown out in the final play-in game, 121-90, by the Orlando Magic, keeping their 10-year streak of missing the playoffs intact.
With LaMelo Ball, former No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and NBA three-point leader Kon Knueppel on board, the Hornets’ future looks bright. Here are five moves the Hornets need to make to go from almost-contenders to a real playoff team.
1. Re-sign Coby White
The Hornets acquired White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, a player who grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina, about 200 miles from Charlotte. White averaged 15.6 points for Charlotte and shot 39.1 percent from three-point range.
White is a free agent this summer and with almost no salary commitments past next season, the Hornets should quickly lock up the 26-year-old guard for the next three-to-four seasons, even if he’s eventually just a high-level sixth man.
2. Get rid of Miles Bridges
Bridges was quite productive last season, averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 77 games. But he is in the final year of his contract, and he’s simply too erratic to build around long-term.
Bridges has had two troubling domestic violence incidents during his NBA career and Friday night, he punched Desmond Bane during the Hornet’s play-in game.
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