Two months removed from parting ways with Rich Cho, the Charlotte Hornets announced Sunday they have hired longtime Los Angeles Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak to lead the basketball operation.
Kupchak had similar authority over the Lakers from 2000 through early 2017. His titles with the Hornets are president of basketball operations and general manager.
The Lakers won four NBA championships in that span, the most recent in 2010. Hornets owner Michael Jordan called Kupchak a "proven winner" in the team's announcement of the hire early Sunday evening.
Like Jordan, Kupchak was a college star at North Carolina. He was in Charlotte last month to watch the Tar Heels play at Spectrum Center in the NCAA Tournament.
"I am well aware of the passion for basketball in Charlotte and throughout the entire state of North Carolina," Kupchak said in a prepared statement. "I am confident we can build the Hornets into a successful team that our great fans can be proud of."
Kupchak, 63, faces a major challenge. The Hornets are 35-46 entering Tuesday's final game of the season against the Pacers in Indianapolis. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season, despite an expensive, veteran roster.
Kupchak will have to decide whether to retain coach Steve Clifford, completing his fifth season here. Clifford's teams have made the playoffs twice. In addition, Kupchak will have to address what to do with All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, one season away from unrestricted free-agency.
The Hornets' player payroll next season is already approaching the NBA's projected luxury-tax threshold of about $121 million, a barrier Jordan won't want to cross for a team that doesn't look like a contender anytime soon. The Hornets have six veterans under contract making $12 million or more next season.
The Hornets will have a first-round pick in the early teens in the June draft, unless they jump into the top three picks via the annual draft lottery in May.
Kupchak spent his entire previous career as an NBA executive with the Lakers. He became part of the front office, working with Lakers great Jerry West, upon his retirement as a player there in 1986.
Cho left the organization in February after being informed he would not be getting a new contract beyond this season.
