Hornets exec Kupchak steps down
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets will begin a search for a new president of basketball operations after longtime NBA executive Mitch Kupchak stepped down on Monday.
The 69-year-old Kupchak, who has served as the team's president of basketball operations and general manager since 2018, will transition into an advisory role once the new hire joins the organization.
Kupchak's contact was set to expire after the season. He was originally hired by Michael Jordan, who sold the team to Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin last year.
“Mitch's success as an NBA executive speaks for itself and we thank Mitch for all his work during his six years leading our basketball operations,” Hornets co-chairmen Schnall and Plotkin said in a joint statement. “His professionalism, integrity and commitment have been a major benefit to our franchise.”
The Hornets had high expectations coming into the season. But they're just 11-41 and headed toward an eighth straight season without securing a spot in the postseason.
Kupchak was a 10-time NBA champion as a player and executive with the Los Angeles Lakers but never could find that success in Charlotte. The Hornets are 176-259 since Kupchak took over, with only one winning season and never reaching the postseason.
Kupchak's departure from the main leadership role also creates questions about the future of head coach Steve Clifford, who is 38-96 in two seasons in his second stint with a team that's struggled with injuries.
Kupchak spent 17 years as the Lakers' lead basketball executive (2000-2017) where he won four NBA titles and
six Western Conference championships. He played 10 seasons in the NBA with the Washington Bullets and Lakers.
“After signing my extension two years ago, the plan has always been for me to move to an advisory role after this season when my contract ends in June,” Kupchak said. “Now feels like the appropriate time to begin the search for the next leader of our basketball operations.”
Kupchak completed three major trades before the deadline with the team, dealing P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward as it looks toward rebuilding with a younger roster.
Warriors brass among mourners
Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic was buried Monday in his native Serbia, with many members of the Warriors' staff among the hundreds of mourners present for the funeral on a rainy day at a Belgrade cemetery.
Among the Warriors coaches and staff who
made the trip: head coach Steve Kerr, assistant coaches Chris Demarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy, team basketball and business liaison Zaza Pachulia, and team vice president for player health and performance Rick Celebrini.
Kerr and those staffers who attended the funeral will miss Monday night's rescheduled game at Utah. The Warriors were in Salt Lake City when the 46-year-old Milojevic had a heart attack at a team dinner on Jan. 16. He died the next day, and that night's game against the Jazz was postponed.
Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson will act as head coach for the rescheduled game.
Milojevic — whose flower-draped casket was carried Monday by his former Serbian teammates — was a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, among many other players. Milojevic was part of the staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship.
The Warriors have honored his memory by putting his initials on their jerseys and on the apron of their home floor.
Pelicans lose Daniels to injury
New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels has been diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, the team announced.
The Pelicans said they are evaluating treatment options and did not immediately provide a timeline for Daniels' return to basketball.
The 6-foot-8 Daniels, a native of Australia, was New Orleans' first-round choice in the 2022 NBA Draft, selected eighth overall.
This season, Daniels has appeared in 52 games with 15 starts and has played nearly 22 minutes per game, averaging 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals.