The Charlotte Hornets were eliminated on Sunday in Game 7 against the Miami Heat in the 1st round, but gave a valiant effort to eliminate the 3rd seed Miami Heat. In the exit interviews, Hornets GM Rich Cho explained his plans for the offseason, including his number 1 priority.
According to the Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
“Nic is a huge piece. He is our No. 1 offseason priority,” Cho said at an end-of-the-season media availability.
“He knows that. We told him that in our exit interviews. We love having him here, thought he did a great job this year,” Cho continued. “He had a few injuries, but overall he did a great job at both ends of the floor. He also did a great job in the locker room.”
Nicolas Batum is going to be a top free agent in this years market, especially with the salary cap rising, a lot of teams could use a player that can stretch the floor and defend as well as Batum does. He averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 3-pointers a game in the 7 Playoff games for the Hornets. It was said that Batum was interesting in signing with the Raptors earlier this season, but he refuted those comments and it looks like he’ll be staying put in Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer also mentioned that Batum talked about returning to Charlotte in his exit interview and that his number one choice would be to return.
If Batum were to return to Charlotte, the Hornets will have to pay up. It’s estimated that a player with Batum’s qualities and skills will be in the $20-million range, because the amount of money teams will have this summer is sky rocketing. That means Batum is up for a big raise from his current $11 million a year. The Hornets have started on the right foot, with a core that is finally starting resonate in the minds of NBA fans. They played their hearts out against the Miami Heat and at one point even led the series 3-2, but weren’t able to capitalize in Game 6. That being said, Rich Cho, Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets have a bright future ahead of them.
