Perhaps Wednesday night was the final straw in Charlotte, where the bloom of a decent start to the season is quickly fading. A 38-point home loss ahead of a six-game road trip will do that.
With starting center Cody Zeller out because of a hand injury, the Hornets were primed to test their depth in the frontcourt, which seemed to mean a bump up in playing time for Frank Kaminsky, the former lottery pick who has been all but scuttled from the rotation of new coach James Borrego.
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Instead, Kaminsky played just 16 minutes, scoring five points on 2-for-6 shooting. That’s in line with the scant playing time Kaminsky has gotten this season. He logged DNPs in 11 of the Hornets’ first 16 games and has averaged just 11.6 minutes in 22 games.
Now, league sources tell Sporting News, the Hornets may finally be ready to include Kaminsky in a trade ahead of his coming restricted free agency. Given the way things have gone for him in Charlotte this year, he would likely welcome a change of scenery.
Teams have expressed interest, including some contenders, but the Hornets would most prefer to put the money remaining on Kaminsky’s $3.6 million deal with another big salary. Charlotte, according to league sources, is desperate to get out of the two years and $52 million remaining on Nicolas Batum’s salary, and at least one team was told that Kaminsky could be had if Batum were included.
The Hornets would also like to move the $17 million owed in 2019-20 to center Bismack Biyombo. That’s a tough sell, getting another team to take that money in order to acquire a guy who will be a restricted free agent in the summer and does not appear to fit into his coach’s plans. Charlotte would need to lower its asking price.
Dealing Kaminsky would also be a tough thing to OK for Hornets owner Michael Jordan, who was such a fan of Kaminsky ahead of the 2015 draft that he insisted the team choose him at No. 9 and turned down a package of four first-round picks from Boston to do so.
That package would have included Nos. 15 and 16 in 2015 (Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier were chosen), and one of Boston’s future Brooklyn picks. The Celtics wound up using the 2016 Nets pick on Jaylen Brown and traded the 2018 pick to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. The Cavs chose Collin Sexton.
The Hornets also could have had Memphis’ pick in the coming draft, which Boston still owns. It’s protected for the top eight but currently slotted at No. 13.
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Trading away Kaminsky will certainly bring back the sting of turning down the Celtics’ offer, but there’s more to it than that. Jordan has other reasons to want to see Kaminsky play — but it appears likely that neither Jordan nor Kaminsky will get the chance to see what Kaminsky might have done with the Hornets.
Former Charlotte coach Steve Clifford had worked closely to develop Kaminsky, on both ends of the floor. When he arrived in the NBA as college basketball’s Player of the Year, there were concerns about Kaminsky’s defense, and though those have remained, he improved under Clifford.
In a small sample size this year, Kaminsky has been very good defensively. According to Synergy Sports, opponents score an average of 0.743 points per possession against Kaminsky, which ranks in the 94th percentile. That would likely dip if given more minutes, but Kaminsky has handled himself well enough when given the chance. On a per-36-minute basis, Kaminsky has averaged 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, both career highs.
His strength remains his ability as a stretch-4, and that’s what teams are seeking as they investigate trades for him. Kaminsky is a career 34.6 percent 3-point shooter but shot 38.0 percent from the arc last season and was outstanding in the season’s second half.
After the All-Star break, Kaminsky shot 48.8 percent from the 3-point line, fourth among players who took at least 2.0 3-pointers per game. He averaged 12.6 points in 23.5 minutes.
That seemed to give Kaminsky momentum heading into what was a crucial season for his future with Charlotte. Instead, he’s had his role cut drastically, even with Zeller out.
The Hornets have lost six of their last 10 with a brutal schedule remaining in January, so it’s possible changes could be afoot. Kaminsky could be among them.