Report: Mitch Kupchak Expected to Become Hornets GM, President of Basketball Ops

Mitch Kupchak is reportedly on the brink of becoming the new general manager of the Charlotte Hornets.

On Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the Hornets and Kupchak "have made significant progress in contract talks" in regards to the general manager and president of basketball operations positions. 

Wojnarowski noted "a formal agreement is expected to be reached soon."

This report comes after Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer called Kupchak becoming the Hornets' new general manager "basically a done deal" on Monday.

The position is open after the team fired general manager Rich Cho in February in the middle of a disappointing 2017-18 campaign.

Kupchak is notable for his time in the front office for the Los Angeles Lakers, and he served as the general manager from the summer of 2000 to 2017 before the franchise ultimately moved on.

After Los Angeles won three straight titles from 2000-02 with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal leading the way, Kupchak helped open up a second championship window in Bryant's career by acquiring Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers reached three straight NBA Finals with the duo and became back-to-back champions in 2009 and 2010.

As for Charlotte, Kupchak is reportedly on the verge of taking over a team that will miss the playoffs for the second straight season at the conclusion of the 2017-18 schedule.

He has a building block in two-time All-Star Kemba Walker on the outside, although the guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 campaign, per Spotrac. Big man Dwight Howard is also set to become an unrestricted free agent at the same time, suggesting the franchise could have something of a reset in the coming years under the former Lakers architect.