Hornets GM Agrees To Multi-Year Extension

After a disappointing end to the season for the much-improved Charlotte Hornets—in which they failed to make the playoffs after getting blown out by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Play-In Tournament—rumors were beginning to swirl that this may have been Mitch Kupchak's final season as the team's general manager.

Well, Kupchak was quick to shut down those rumors during a press conference held on Thursday, as he confirmed that he has agreed to a multi-year deal to stay on as the GM for the Hornets.

BREAKING: Mitch Kupchak said he has agreed with the Hornets to continue to work for years to come. A multi-year deal. "I'm thankful to be still working in this league."
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) May 19, 2022

Kupchak, who has served as the general manager for the Hornets for four years now, provided no specific details as to how many years the organization extended his contract for, but it's looking like he will continue to be a part of the Hornets organization's plans for the near future at least.

Since coming to Charlotte back in 2018, Kupchak has slowly steered the franchise in the right direction. In fact, the team finally achieved a winning record this past regular season, which is something the organization had not accomplished since the 2015-16 season.

And, even though the Charlotte Hornets failed to make the playoffs this season, it really does feel like they are on the precipice of being a legitimate playoff team.

Now that Kupchak has agreed to a shiny new deal, he will have some crucial decisions to make this upcoming offseason, especially if the Hornets are truly wanting to make that leap into becoming a playoff team next season.

The first, and arguably most important, is to hire a new head coach to replace James Borrego, who was fired following the team's Play-In Tournament elimination.

Some of the head coaching candidates that the Hornets are reportedly considering includes former Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, and Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.

The other important offseason task for Kupchak will be to re-sign restricted free agent Miles Bridges, who was the team's second-best player all season, as well as a NBA Most Improved Player award candidate.

Bridges was in the final year of his contract, and he will undoubtedly be looking for a major pay raise after the monster season he had.

Because Bridges is a restricted free agent, he can sign an offer sheet from any team in the league, and the Hornets have the option to match any offers to keep him in Charlotte.

Hornets fans can rest assured though, Kupchak has made it abundantly clear that Bridges is an important player for the franchise moving forward, and that the organization will do everything it can to retain Bridges' services.