The Charlotte Hornets are expected to pursue ex-Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team announced Tuesday it will not extend current GM Rich Cho’s contract.
Michael Jordan is letting Hornets’ GM go to pursue Mitch Kupchak, according to report
Kupchak, a UNC alum, would work with Buzz Peterson, Charlotte’s assistant GM and Jordan’s college roommate.
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
According to the report, another possible candidate for GM is Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. The team is looking for a GM to work with assistant general manager Buzz Peterson.
Hornets owner Michael Jordan and Peterson were teammates and college roommates at North Carolina. He was hired as assistant general manager in July. Kupchak was fired by the Lakers in Feb. 2017 and later replaced by Magic Johnson. Kupchak was also a UNC legend.
Jordan has a history of hiring friends and UNC alumni in his post-playing management career. After coming out of retirement to play for the Wizards in 2001, Jordan relinquished his team president role to Rod Higgins, a friend from his early days with the Bulls. Before Jordan returned to playing, the team hired his former coach, Doug Collins, then traded a promising prospect in Rip Hamilton for former Tar Heels star Jerry Stackhouse. The team also signed Jordan’s former teammate, Charles Oakley.
This should be concerning to Hornets fans, considering his previous commitments to employing friends have gone poorly. The Wizards missed the playoffs every season Jordan was in the organization. In 2000-01, they won just 19 games.
The Hornets are in need of a change though, as they head towards another losing season.
Editor’s Note: This story originally said that Peterson had no front-office experience to date. He was hired by Charlotte in July, 2017.
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