Jeremy Lin (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
Dwight Howard (Photo : Facebook/DwightHoward)
The Charlotte Hornets have ended their season on a low note, being crushed by the Miami Heat.
Now, they have to face their free agency issues and the team has a lot of work to do. They have a lot of things going for them specifically Coach Steve Clifford who has become a pleasant surprise amid numerous coaching disappointments all around the league.
In an ESPN Insider feature, the Hornets were scrutinized by the their panel of experts.
Most of them agreed that the top agenda that could make or break the franchise is Nic Batum. Even though he was injured in the playoffs, it was clear that he was integral to the Hornets' rise.
When asked to rank the Hornets' free agents (Batum, Jeremy Lin, Marvin Williams, Al Jefferson and Courtney Lee) in order of priority, Batum was a unanimous no.1. However, they wavered on Jeremy Lin.
Bradford Doolittle had it ordered as "Batum, Williams, Jefferson, Lin, Lee." He elaborated: "The caveats here: I wouldn't overpay Jefferson, who is unlikely to be a 30-minute player going forward; and while Lin adds a nice dimension, you can't pay him like a starter."
Justin Verrier noted that Batum's ball-movement and playmaking versatility is what makes him indispensible. Verrier puts Batum and Williams, "a locker room voice" who is effective as a small ball power forward are the only ones they should absolutely retain while he'd "let the market, and the Hornets' cap sheet, dictate the rest. the rest," including Lin.
With this stance, it seems like the Hornets would let Jeremy Lin walk if he signs an offer to be a starter somewhere else. However, Charlotte may be underrated as a city and Lin could stay if the price is reasonable. He is not known to just accept the highest bid wherever it may land (as exemplified by choosing Charlotte last summer).
While on the topic of Charlotte being underrated, there is an upgrade suggested by Tom Haberstroh: that of replacing Al Jefferson with Dwight Howard to improve their defense. He names the ideal Hornets frontcourt as "Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard. Kaminsky and Zeller are solid backups, but not starter material if the Hornets want to contend in the East. Howard obviously is no spring chicken, but buying low on a presence like Howard is a must for a market like Charlotte."
Howard has long been linked to Charlotte as SB Nation reported that there were trade talks before the deadline but they could not close a deal with the Houston Rockets. Now, the Hornets can just sign him outright.
