The Charlotte Bobcats are still stuck in discussions with restricted free agent Gerald Henderson after giving him a qualifying offer and despite talk of a sign and trade earlier in the offseason with the Timberwolves and the Bucks, neither of those deals came to fruition and now the team must look elsewhere, possibly the Memphis Grizzlies or Indiana Pacers.
According to Yahoo Sports, Henderson originally was asking for between $7.5 and $8.5 million per season after deals signed by other players and so far the Bobcats have balked at that offer. The team originally selected him with the 12th overall pick back in 2009 and he has developed into a nice player, but not an elite scorer. Last season he set a career high with h 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and one steal in 31.4 minutes per game and after being given a $4.2 million qualifying offer, he will have to figure out what the next move is.
Henderson is the longest tenured player with the team and after the Raptors signed DeMar DeRozan and Tyreke Evans was given an $8 million deal, Henderson thinks he should be getting in on that action as well. The Bobcats have won only 28 games over the past two seasons, but they have shown signs that things are improving, including by bringing back the old Hornets team name and logo to the city.
Henderson is a solid player and after the deals with the Bucks and Timberwolves fell through, two other teams that could fit include the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers, as both needs outside shooting. The Pacers have been mentioned in rumors that they will trade Danny Granger after spending basically all last season without him and still making the Eastern conference finals against the Miami Heat and this deal could be an option for both sides. The Pacers feel that they are just as good as the Heat and a trade for Henderson could put them over the top.
The Grizzlies could also be a fit, as they traded away Rudy Gay and need a player who can score from the outside and to match their run to the Western conference finals last season, they will still have moves to make. The Bobcats have been rumored to be interested in Quentin Richardson after he was released by the Raptors and the team already signed Al Jefferson this offseason and also made a strong play for Monta Ellis and now they have a major decision to make as they decided whether or not to bring back Henderson on a deal.
Henderson was excellent at the end of the season while averaging 18.9 points per game in 30 appearances after the All-Star break and if he stays, the Bobcats will be happy, but if they can make a move that improves the team, they will deal with trading away a homegrown talent. Jefferson adds an elite talent to the team, while the Bobcats also selected Cody Zeller in the draft to join a young core that also includes Kemba Walker. The team got rid of Tyrus Thomas to make room for Jefferson and also signed Zeller to a contract. Last season the team had issues scoring inside and having Jefferson in the fold will only improve that.