Hornets mailbag: What’s the deal with Kyle Lowry? Do the players care about the losing?

It wasn’t supposed to flame out this quickly, but here we are.

The NBA All-Star break is still a few weeks away, yet the Charlotte Hornets are already beginning to set their sights on the offseason and figuring out the best direction for everyone involved.

As usual, the Hornets’ plight leads to a bevy of questions. In this latest mailbag, we answer reader queries about Kyle Lowry, LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, players’ attitudes and more.

Movement with Kyle Lowry

Flow World asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: When are we trading Kyle Lowry?

Who’s rushing to get his contract with the production he’s put up? As previously reported by The Observer, there is a strong possibility of a buyout with Lowry as opposed to getting moved in a trade. It will have to be the right deal due to the $29.6 million he’s earning this season in the final year of his pact. The Hornets would have to receive someone in return who fits into the team’s financial structure and can be viewed as a core piece. That’s part of the reason why, privately, some league executives see Lowry on the buyout market beyond the Feb. 8. deadline.

Miles Bridges’ future

EJB asks on X: Do you think not re-signing Miles Bridges would be the worst decision this franchise could make in the last 10 years? How many years do you think it would set us back, 10-15?

The situation with Bridges is complicated. There really is not a simple solution. Speaking strictly in basketball terms, which is not easy to do because you aren’t taking the whole situation as a whole together, letting someone who wants to be with the franchise long-term leave for nothing is not a good business decision. He told the Observer he wants to stay, and you have to take him at his word.

No laughing matter

Thomas Leary asks on X: Would love to get a temperature check on the locker room and what leaders are doing to turn things around. Blowout losses/injuries/fan apathy — just has felt like a bad vibe this season from the outside looking in.

Leadership is something the Hornets are working to replace with Terry Rozier gone to Miami. LaMelo Ball is 22 years old and is still learning what it takes to be a strong voice within the locker room. And while the optics may not look good at times when you see things from the outside looking in — or hear Rozier’s recent take about the difference in each team’s culture — it’s clear that everyone is frustrated. Just ask coach Steve Clifford. Listen to his take about this long, maddening season.

Listening to offers for LaMelo Ball

DMSTL asks on X: Given the ability for LaMelo Ball to stay healthy, does it make sense for the Hornets to entertain offers?

To put this as simply as possible, no. Absolutely not. There is no way the Hornets should even entertain trade offers for LaMelo. He is the lone drawing card at this point and the only reason people tune in to games. He puts bodies in the seats. His jersey is the 13th-best seller among all NBA players this season. Imagine what it would be like if the Hornets were actually any good and he played for the entire season without being hurt?

The Hornets lucked out by placing third in the 2021 lottery and selecting Ball. They would have to overpay to get anybody with his skills to come to Charlotte, so sending him out of town just because he hasn’t had a fully healthy season yet makes no sense. Steph Curry, anyone?

Hornets ownership plan

Stuart Gordon asks on X: Does the new ownership have a plan?

Yes, ownership does have a plan and it surely goes beyond the Spectrum Center upgrades. It’s been apparent from the start they wanted to come in and observe how things were being handled once the season got on the way, and they could get an even better in-depth perspective at where the franchise was heading. That provided ownership with some of the information needed to make some major decisions moving forward.

Rick Schnall is around the team often, especially at games, and he’s taking the organization’s temperature on a daily basis. Getting this turned in the right direction seems to be something that drives him and this offseason is an important one for the franchise.

More futility

Mike Lipp asks on X: Do you think you will ever cover a 2nd round series that involves the Hornets?

Want to hear something wild? Yours truly was at the Hornets’ last home playoff game assisting the one and only Rick Bonnell. Yeah, back in 2016. No one could have predicted it would be this long of a drought, which is going to push past eight years in another few months. And at the current rate, many probably feel it’s going to be a while before that changes.

Baby steps must be taken before we can even begin to chat about the second round. Remember, this is a franchise that’s never sniffed the Eastern Conference Finals. So, put it this way: it will probably snow in Charlotte in March before the author of this space covers a second-round series involving the Hornets.