Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets Agree on New Contract: Latest Details, Comments

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist became the latest class of 2012 player to ink an extension, agreeing to a contract extension with the Charlotte Hornets.  

Charlotte provided an image of Kidd-Gilchrist signing on the dotted line alongside the announcement Wednesday:

Hornets GM Rich Cho and Kidd-Gilchrist commented on the contact, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer and the Hornets:

The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported on Aug. 24 the deal was for four years and $52 million.

Heading into his fourth NBA season, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2014-15. He was limited to 55 games due to injury, the second consecutive season he's missed at least 20 contests.

The former Kentucky star is the fourth extension-eligible player to ink a deal this summer, joining New Orleans' Anthony Davis, Portland's Damian Lillard and Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas. 

Wojnarowski's reported terms of the deal make it a borderline no-brainer for Charlotte. Kidd-Gilchrist is one of the very best perimeter defenders in the league. He has solid length (7-foot wingspan), elite lateral quickness and an instinctive aggressiveness.

Opponents averaged 0.70 points per possession in isolation and shot below their regular-season average overall when defended by Kidd-Gilchrist last season, per NBA.com. The Hornets allowed 107.4 points per 100 possessions with MKG on the bench compared to 98.8 when he was on the floor; they were more than 12 points better overall, per Basketball-Reference. On most nights, Kidd-Gilchrist was tasked with defending the opponent's top perimeter talent, sometimes switching between four positions on a given possession.

“I want to say ever; not just in the league (now). The best defender this league has seen,” Kidd-Gilchrist told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “It’s baby steps. But when it’s all said and done, I want people to say, ‘That guy right there was the dog!’ That’s all I want.”

The more important baby steps, however, have come on the offensive end. Entering the league with a hitchy, broken jumper, Kidd-Gilchrist has put in time to slowly develop a workable shot. He's still far from perfect—last season he did not even attempt a three-pointer—but he shot 39.5 percent on mid-range looks. That was up from 28.4 percent in 2013-14 and put him right around the league average.

NBA.com

While many of those looks were uncontested, it speaks to Kidd-Gilchrist's work ethic that he's made such a quick improvement. It's perhaps even more promising there was little difference in MKG's performance on spot-up and off-the-dribble shots; it means his mechanics are staying relatively uniform regardless of how he gets his shot.

If Kidd-Gilchrist can start stretching beyond the three-point arc and even making a third of those shots, he'll be beyond a bargain. But even if he tops out as a below-average shooter, this contract looks great. The Hornets are getting Kidd-Gilchrist for most of his prime defensive years.

This is a coup for the Hornets that will only look better in a couple of years.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.