Hornets mailbag: Is Deandre Ayton coming to Charlotte? And more on the Hornets

As the NBA’s playoff schedule dwindles down and the Finals emerge into the picture, it signals the next phase in the league’s calendar is near.

That would be the chaotic offseason.

For the Charlotte Hornets, save for 10 days following their play-in tournament defeat in Atlanta, it actually began weeks ago when they severed ties with James Borrego as their head coach.

There are plenty of questions, including the top candidates for the coaching search, whether they should trade their first-round draft picks next month and if Deandre Ayton will be in the Hornets’ future. Those queries and more are covered in this latest mailbag.

@jrloading asks: Who are the Hornets considering as head coach?

We know Milwaukee assistant Darvin Ham and Kenny Atkinson impressed enough to score a second interview, and Mike D’Antoni is also among those who are in the mix. Right now, they appear to be three main serious contenders to replace Borrego and each brings something different to the table.

Atkinson and Ham reportedly are also finalists for the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching vacancy, as is another person the Hornets interviewed: former Portland coach Terry Stotts. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said last Wednesday that he hoped to have someone in place within the next couple of weeks, so they should be nearing the end of their search.

Also understanding the NBA draft is less than a month away and the importance of having their choice in his new post for as long as possible leading into it, further clarity on who they tab as the 12th coach in franchise history should emerge soon.

@truefauxhemian asks: Do you see Deandre Ayton in our future?

The crystal ball is cloudy on that one. While Phoenix appears poised for a breakup with their big man, the Suns hold all the cards because he’s a restricted free agent. Remember, they can match any offer Ayton signs and have the ability to facilitate a potential sign-and-trade, meaning Ayton’s destination has to have the assets — or at the very least be somehow incorporated into a multi-team deal. Ayton is seeking a max contract and the early rumblings suggest he can get it once the market opens in July. The Suns also don’t possess a first-round pick, which could be a way the Hornets can entice them to engage in conversations to send the 24-year-old to Charlotte.

However, there’s a flip side. Kupchak essentially said they can’t get caught up in doing something too extravagant because they aren’t a championship-caliber team just yet. That’s obviously their goal, but it sounds like they don’t intend to veer too far off their path. If so, that could deem Ayton as an expensive proposition and put him out of their financial reach.

@PaperPrice323 asks: Do you expect the roster at the start of next season to look relatively similar to last season or do you expect multiple players to be gone?

I would expect the core to remain intact because the Hornets intend on building around LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier. Bridges is a restricted free agent, has expressed his desire to stay and the Hornets want to re-sign the fourth-year forward. But faltering in the play-in tournament for the second straight season paired with their defensive deficiencies and having to make several decisions on their own free agents strongly suggests some roster tweaking this offseason.

Including Bridges, the Hornets have four free agents (Cody Martin, Montrezl Harrell and Isaiah Thomas are the others) and it’s unlikely they will run it back with the same crew. That doesn’t necessarily equate to a major roster reconfiguration, but the new coach could have a player or two he covets to fit in his system. So anticipate a few moves to give them a slightly different look, especially among the reserves.

@m23aik asks: Do you think the Hornets will keep picks No. 13 & No. 15 after a season with very low participation from James Bouknight & Kai Jones?

Put it this way: they shouldn’t. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the grand scheme of things and that’s why the Hornets have to do whatever they can to use those as serious commodities and see what teams are willing to fork over. James Bouknight and Kai Jones are each going to have to be a part of the rotation somehow if they are on the roster when the season tips off in October. Playing sparingly at the NBA level for a second straight season would hinder their development.

Adding another one or two more twentysomethings to the Hornets, who will have expectations of not only being among the actual 16-team playoff field but potentially winning a first-round series, wastes valuable space. It’s unlikely either would see an uptick in court time unless spots in the rotation suddenly become available thanks to a major roster restructuring.

Factor in what seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity being armed with a pair of picks in a draft that appears deep enough to land a talented player in the mid teens, and one would think the situation is prime for the Hornets to use at least one of those chips to get them an upgrade somewhere.

@DaveHanegraaff asks: Am I delusional for thinking Kai Jones could be special?

No, sir, you are not. Maybe special is too strong of a word, but he can be darn good. He’s oozing with potential and that is why he has to see the floor more in his second season. With his rawness, which is directly due to him picking up organized basketball during his teenage years in the Bahamas, the organization thought he benefited most playing for the G League’s Greensboro Swarm rather than spending most of his rookie season watching from the Hornets’ bench. In 24 appearances with the Swarm, he averaged 18.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.3 steals in 31.6 minutes.

The Hornets view him as a center, so he has to add some mass to his slim 6-foot-10, 221-pound frame. The overall athleticism, springboard-like jumping ability and enthusiasm for the game and life in general is what led to the Hornets acquiring a second first-round pick in last year’s draft to select him. Jones will get extra seasoning in the Las Vegas Summer League in July before attempting to elbow himself into the rotation come fall.

@Amanda_m_helms asks: Not technically Hornets-related anymore, but do you think J.B. goes back into coaching this season?

Great vacancies are few and far in between at the moment, and typically those who were head coaches don’t always jump right back into it because they either want to take some time off or prefer to wait for the right situation. With the Lakers’ gig being the lone other head job currently open and him not among the finalists, there are not many options for James Borrego. So with that in mind, he’s probably better suited to see how the coaching field looks at this point a year from now.