NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 offseason targets for the Charlotte Hornets

CHARLOTTE, NC- MAY 11: Charlotte Hornets General Manager, Mitch Kupchak introduces James Borrego as Head Coach of the Charlotte Hornets during a press conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 11, 2018 at the Spectrum Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 9: Tyus Jones #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Toronto Raptors on April 9, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Tyus Jones

Tyus Jones is the most obvious candidate if Kemba Walker were to leave. He’s a capable point guard, in an unappealing situation, who might be low enough in cost to meet the Hornets’ unrealistically low budget for a starting point guard. He’s still very young, as he’ll only be 23 at the start of the 2019-20 season, making him even younger than Hornets rookie Devonte’ Graham.

But also, if Kemba Walker leaves, the Hornets will likely be placed into a full rebuild, as they’ll likely crater to a bottom five record. Jones is a good kind of point guard to go through a rebuild with. He has some value as his own player, but as revealed by the Phoenix Suns’ fumblings this year, it matters a lot to have a player capable of actually getting the ball to your young players so that they can develop. In that regard, Jones is one of the best. Of the three years since Jones entered the NBA that he played enough minutes to qualify for the leaderboard, he has placed in the top ten on assist-to-turnover ratio all three years. In the fourth year, he would’ve been second. Further, Jones is a sufficiently competent shooter (37.8 percent on catch-and-shoot looks last year) and defender (consistently above average for a PG in DRPM across the last three seasons) to not hurt any schemes in those regards. If the Hornets are going to develop their young players, which they probably don’t have any choice but to do, Jones is a perfect pair to go with him, so he makes absolute sense as a target for the Hornets should the Timberwolves’ new management not want to keep him.

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