Reports: Charlotte Hornets offer general manager role to former Los Angeles Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak
What's the story?
Sportskeeda reported in February that the Hornets were not going to extend Rich Cho's contract and that Kupchak was being mentioned as the replacement.
On Monday morning, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Charlotte Hornets will offer former Los Angeles Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak the general manager's role.
In case you didn't know...
Prior to becoming an NBA executive, Kupchak played in the NBA for 10 seasons (missing one full season due to a knee injury) with the Washington Bullets, and then the Lakers. For his career, he averaged 10.2 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The heart of the matter
As per the New York Times report, a formal offer has been extended to Kupchak according to three sources who have knowledge of the situation. There is confidence within the organization that the deal will be completed soon.
At the time of this writing, neither the Hornets nor Kupchak have responded to requests for comment on the report.
During this season, the Hornets have struggled and are currently 10 games under .500 with four games left on the season. Charlotte last made the playoffs during the 2015-16 season where they were defeated by the Miami Heat in seven games.
Kupchak succeeded Jerry West as general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and would hold that title until February 2017. During Kupchak's tenure with the Lakers, they won a total of seven NBA Championships.
What's next?
Next up for the Charlotte Hornets (34-44) are the equally struggling Chicago Bulls (26-51) on Tuesday evening. The Hornets close out their season with Orlando and then two with Indiana after the game with the Bulls.
Author's take
I think it's a tremendous hire for Hornets owner Michael Jordan to bring in an executive with the pedigree of Mitch Kupchak. It will be tougher to bring in free agents to Charlotte compared to Los Angeles, but if anyone can get the job done, it will be Kupchak.