Charlotte Hornets Rumors: 3 point guards the Hornets could sign before the 2019-20 season

Over the past eight seasons, the Charlotte Hornets were blessed with one of the NBA's best point guards. After being drafted by the then-Bobcats in 2011, Kemba Walker quickly established himself as the driving force in the Charlotte backcourt and was named as an All-Star in each of the past three seasons.

However, the Hornets failed to offer their biggest star a new maximum deal earlier this summer, and Walker decided to take his talents to Boston in free agency. The Hornets reacted by handing the often-erratic Terry Rozier an absurd three-year, $58 million contract, while the team has failed to replace the recently-retired Tony Parker.

This leaves the Hornets with arguably the weakest backcourt in the NBA, and the team is likely to bring in a new veteran point guard in the coming weeks. So, here we will take a look at the point guards that could sign with the Hornets before the start of the 19-20 season.

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#3 Iman Shumpert

Iman Shumpert has spent stretches at point guard despite primarily being deployed as a shooting guard

Iman Shumpert has not spent an extended amount of time playing at point guard since his rookie campaign back in 2011. However, Charlotte's backcourt situation is dire, and Shumpert possesses the skillset to fill in for Rozier for 10-15 minutes per night. The 29-year-old could also play stretches alongside Rozier in the Hornets backcourt and would provide the team with some much-needed flexibility.

In terms of what kind of impact he would make, Shumpert finished last season with the Rockets, averaging 4.6 points, 1.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds over 20 appearances from the bench. Not huge numbers, although the Hornets are unlikely to challenge for a playoff spot this season, and the Illinois native could serve as a decent stop-gap as the Hornets push forward with its rebuild.

#2 Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin spent much of the 2018-19 season playing as a backup to Trae Young

Jeremy Lin is arguably the best free-agent point guard left on the market, and the 31-year-old has expressed his eagerness to return for another season. Lin has drawn offers from both Europe and China, although no NBA team has yet to come forward, and the Hornets would have a clear path to sign the veteran.

Lin is also a good match for Charlotte, having spent much of the 2018-19 season playing reserve point guard on a struggling Atlanta Hawks team. Over 51 appearances, Lin averaged an impressive 10.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game, and following a late-season move to Toronto, Lin played eight times during the Raptors title-winning playoff run.

The California native won't wait around forever, and the Hornets should consider bringing Lin in before he moves overseas.

#1 Shaun Livingston

Shaun Livingston could help the Hornets both on and off the court

As a top-five draft pick, Shaun Livingston entered the NBA with huge expectations, and while he was never able to match the initial hype- the guard managed to firmly establish himself as one of the best backup guards in the NBA.

Before being waived this summer, Livingston spent five seasons playing backup to Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors, and the 33-year-old amassed a huge amount of knowledge and experience during five straight trips to the NBA Finals.

While Livingston will instantly improve the Charlotte roster, his role mentoring Rozier could prove just as valuable. Steve Kerr has tipped him as a future coach, and Rozier will experience plenty of hurdles during his first season as a starter. Ultimately, Livingston can help steer Rozier in the right direction, while also getting good minutes from the bench.