2016 NBA Free Agency: 1 move every team needs to make to be contenders

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets won their first playoff game in over a decade as a part of a seven-game series with the Miami Heat the proved to be one of the more entertaining series of the opening round. And they did so without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and on a hobbled Nicolas Batum.

Headed into 2016, the Hornet’s best move is to try and keep the band together. They were a Game 7 away from a second round with the Raptors. Adding MKG into the equation makes them contenders with the best in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for the Hornets, they only have seven players signed for next year and are about 20 million over the cap with holds from their unrestricted free agents. Which means that it will be difficult to keep everyone.

The top priority likely has to be Nic Batum, who offers the best offensive threat for the team, but between Marvin Williams, Al Jefferson, and Jeremy Lin, they’ll likely have to cut two of those players just to stay under the cap. According to spotrac.com, even without Lin’s contract, the cap holds would spell a $66 million dollar luxury tax for the Hornets. That’s a lot of money. Signing Batum and either (or both) of Jefferson and Williams should be enough to keep the Hornets in contention for 2016.

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