Mitch Kupchak, after more than a month of rumors, has agreed to become the Charlotte Hornets' next general manager and president of basketball operations.
“In every role and in every stop during his tenure in the NBA, Mitch Kupchak has brought the highest levels of success to his teams. He’s a proven winner,” owner Michael Jordan said in a statement. “Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte.”
The Hornets fired general manager Rich Cho in February. Almost from the second Cho was pushed out the door, Kupchak emerged as a favorite to be his replacement. The 63-year-old has a kinship with Jordan because the pair both attended North Carolina.
“I’m excited to join the Hornets organization and I want to thank Michael for this opportunity,” said Kupchak. “I am well aware of the passion for basketball in Charlotte and throughout the entire state of North Carolina, and I am confident that we can build the Hornets into a successful team that our great fans can be proud of."
Kupchak also brings with him a resume that includes four championships won during his time as the Los Angeles Lakers general manager, a role he held from 2000 to 2017. The Lakers fired him last February, as they were on the verge of missing the playoffs for their fourth consecutive season.
Kupchak, while decorated, saw the latter half of his tenure in Los Angeles result in the worst stretch of play in franchise history. He was at the helm of the Dwight Howard fiasco, the hiring and firing of multiple coaches, and ill-advised signings of Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng.
The Lakers were forced to trade D'Angelo Russell to Brooklyn last summer to get out from under Mozgov's contract. Deng has played all of one game this season despite being in the second year of a $72 million contract.
Kupchak will inherit a roster filled with overpriced veterans and one star (Kemba Walker) on the verge of free agency in 2019. The Hornets have $117.3 million on their 2018-19 salary sheet, per HoopsHype, putting them well over the cap heading into summer. Nicolas Batum and Dwight Howard will make $47.5 million alone next season. Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are all making $13 million or more.
None of these contracts are especially good or tradable, and this roster will return its entire core from a team that's headed for another losing season.
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