Search For New GM Underway As Hornets’ Mitch Kupchak Steps Aside

The Charlotte Hornets have begun their search for a new head of basketball operations following the announcement that Mitch Kupchak is moving into an advisory role.

Kupchak has been serving as the team’s main basketball man since 2018. But the Hornets have yet to take the next step and are likely to remain out of the playoff during another lost season.

New owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin purchased a majority interest in the Hornets from Michael Jordan for $3 billion in August. Charlotte is 11-41 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. The season has been dictated by injuries and inconsistency — so plenty of people around the league suspected changes would be on the way.

“As Mitch nears the end of his contract, we agreed that now was the right time to begin the search in order to put the organization in the best position for the upcoming offseason,” Schnall and Plotkin said in a statement released by the team. “We’re excited to begin the hiring process for our new head of basketball operations as we continue to shape this franchise and work towards building a team for long-term sustainable success.

“We will take a deliberate approach to the hiring process and will focus on making the best decision for the organization’s long-term future.”

Wrote John Hollinger of The Athletic:

“Mired at 11-41 this season, Charlotte had been one of the league’s least successful teams over the last two decades, with just three playoff appearances since returning as an expansion team in 2004. The current team has been hampered by injuries but also made several glaring mistakes, with the Hayward contract and the 2020 draft standing out. A reluctance to spend under Jordan has also been a persistent issue, a key reason this year’s squad has such an overmatched bench.”