Shortly after hiring former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to run their front office, the Charlotte Hornets dismissed head coach Steve Clifford after his five seasons with the team.
Charlotte finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 34-46 record and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Clifford twice guided them to the playoffs — in 2013 and 2016 — and finished 196-214 in his five seasons as head coach.
Clifford had ties to Kupchak and the Lakers as he previously served as an assistant coach, and the Hornets may find his successor in someone who has a previous connection to Kupchak, or has been mentioned with Los Angeles in recent months.