There has been talk for a while now that Mitch Kupchak could land another front office job with an NBA team after he was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers last year, and it appears his most likely landing spot has been established.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Charlotte Hornets are unlikely to bring back general manager Rich Cho next season, and team owner Michael Jordan has his sights set on Kupchak. Jordan is said to be interested in having the 63-year-old partner with assistant GM Buzz Peterson and essentially replace Cho.
Cho has been the GM in Charlotte since 2011, and the team has not performed well since then. The Hornets have reached the playoffs just twice in the past six seasons, losing in the first round both times. They are currently 24-33 and 5.5 games out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Kupchak served in the Lakers’ front office for 31 years and was the team’s GM for 23 of them. L.A. won five championships during his time there, but he was fired in 2017 and replaced by Rob Pelinka. Based on some recent comments Kupchak made, it sounds like he would love another opportunity to build a winning team.
