5 positive impacts on Charlotte Hornets after Michael Jordan's sale: Why this could be a fresh start for Buzz City
The Charlotte Hornets have entered a new era after the NBA Board of Governors approved the franchise's sale.
The league has voted to approve Michael Jordan’s sale of the Hornets to an ownership group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. The sale of the team won’t become official for at least another week or two.
ESPN Sources: The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, clearing the way to end Michael Jordan’s 13-year run as majority owner.
After 13 years, Michael Jordan's tenure as the Hornets' majority owner comes to an end. He will remain on as a minority owner. The NBA legend's departure leaves the NBA without a black majority owner.
The Hornets never became a contender under Michael Jordan, going 423-600, the 26th-best record over that span. The Hornets never won a playoff series during that time and have missed the postseason for the last seven seasons.
Back in 2012, the Hornets finished with a 7-59 record, the worst record in NBA history, both in terms of fewest wins and lowest winning percentage.
While he obviously wasn’t a part of the roster, Jordan’s teams made the playoffs just three times under his ownership, getting bounced from the first round of the postseason each year. Coming off a 27-55 record, the hope is the Hornets can quickly bounce back in coach Steve Clifford’s second season at the helm.
That said, here are five reasons this could be a needed reboot for the team.
#5 - A fresh start for the franchise
The Charlotte Hornets enter a new era after Michael Jordan's run with the franchise came to an end. The Hornets never lived up to the expectations, making the playoffs only three times in 13 years.
Michael Jordan got a lot of criticism and fans blamed him for the team's failure. Now, under new ownership, Charlotte could see a return to the winning track, after finishing several seasons with a losing record.
#4 - Charlotte Hornets can now pursue superstar trades to bolster the roster
Under a new ownership, the Charlotte Hornets can become a preferred trade destination for NBA superstars. Back in February, when Mat Ishbia took over the Phoenix Suns, he landed Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Similarly, Charlotte now has the opportunity to convince a superstar to join the team and can afford another max contract without getting over the luxury tax.
#3 - Charlotte Hornets keep value despite disappointing seasons
Despite several consecutive disappointing campaigns, the Charlotte Hornets saw no decrease to their value. After Michael Jordan purchased them for $275M in 2010, their value went as high as $1.7B. Eventually, they got sold for $3B.
#2 - New owners will be inclined to make the Hornets a winning team
After purchasing the franchise for $3B, it is clear that the new owners are inclined to spend money to bolster the roster and help the Hornets become a contender. It is still unclear what moves they will make, but we should expect Charlotte to be active in the market under the new ownership.
#1 - It can't get any worse for the Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have been one of the worst NBA franchises over the past few years. Being one of the weakest teams in the league, it can't get any worse for them.
With a new ownership taking over and No.2 pick Brandon Miller in the lineup, things can only get better for the franchise.