After winning 48 games in the 2015-16 season, and pushing the Miami Heat to seven games in their first-round playoff series, the Charlotte Hornets looked to be a team on the rise in the East.
But things did not turn out the way people in Charlotte hoped. They're heading towards missing the playoffs for the second straight season, and were reportedly trying to trade franchise point guard Kemba Walker before the trade deadline.
Now, the team has announced they will part ways with GM Rich Cho at the end of the season. Cho has been the GM in Charlotte since 2011. Via the Hornets' press release:
The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team will not extend the contract of General Manager Rich Cho. The Hornets will begin a search for a new general manager immediately.
According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, Michael Jordan and the Hornets will pursue former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak. Via ESPN:
Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to pursue former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to partner in the front office with assistant GM Buzz Peterson, essentially replacing Cho, league sources said.
You never want to hear about someone losing their job, but it's hard to argue with the Hornets looking to go in another direction. The Hornets are about to miss the playoffs for the second straight season with one of the highest paid rosters in the league, and that's something that just cannot happen.
Most interesting about Wojnarowski's report, though, is that the Hornets will pursue Mitch Kupchak. The former Lakers GM didn't exactly have a great last few years in his tenure at Staples Center.
It does make some sense, though, considering the North Carolina aspect. Jordan, of course, was a UNC legend, and Buzz Peterson was Jordan's roommate in Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, Kupchak himself was once a great player for the Tar Heels, so it's easy to see the common thread there.