Frank Kaminsky to Become UFA; Hornets Don't Extend Qualifying Contract Offer

Frank Kaminsky didn't live up to expectations after the Charlotte Hornets selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 draft, and the franchise that took a chance on him out of Wisconsin moved on Saturday when it declined to tender him a qualifying offer.

Kaminsky will now become an unrestricted free agent.

This comes after Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported in January 2019 that Charlotte "may finally be ready to include Kaminsky in a trade" after he was "all but scuttled from the rotation of new coach James Borrego."

Kaminsky had 11 DNPs in the Hornets' first 16 games of the 2018-19 season and didn't play in 11 of the team's 14 January contests. However, Deveney acknowledged moving him would be difficult for Michael Jordan considering the owner passed on a trade package from the Boston Celtics that would have netted the Hornets four first-round draft picks when he chose to select the Wisconsin big man.

Kaminsky arrived in Charlotte after a dominant collegiate career at Wisconsin that saw him win the Naismith Award, Wooden Award and Big Ten Player of the Year as a consensus All-American.

He appeared well on his way to tapping into his potential when he improved his scoring from 7.5 points a night to 11.7 from his rookie year to his second season in the NBA. The stretch 4 then shot a career-best 38 percent from three-point range in 2017-18 while averaging 11.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, continuing his progression.

However, he took a backseat in the rotation in his fourth season, which prevented him from building on what he showed early in his career.

Kaminsky averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 boards a night in 2018-19, although he is just 26 years old and has flashed enough at the NBA level as a matchup problem with his shooting to suggest the cliche change of scenery will be beneficial.