NBA Notes: Hornets, Coby White, Garrison Mathews, Knicks

Hornets

The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this offseason, but Coby White doesn’t sound like someone expecting a rebuilding year in Charlotte.

“I think we’ve got a really, really good team,” White said, via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “We’ve got a lot of really, really good players.”

White, acquired by Charlotte before last season’s trade deadline and re-signed this summer on a three-year, $74 million contract, said several Hornets players are already in Charlotte working out together.

That includes newcomers Grayson Allen and Dorian Finney-Smith, along with the team’s rookies.

“We’ve got a chance to be a really good team and surprise a lot of people, but we’ve got to put the work in,” White said.

Charlotte has missed the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, the NBA’s longest active drought. But the Hornets did add considerable veteran help while moving on from Ball and Bridges, bringing back Naz Reid, Allen, Royce O’Neale and draft assets in those deals.

White was particularly complimentary of Allen, pointing to his history of playing for winning teams while noting there’s more to his game than outside shooting.

“The one thing I’ve always noticed about G.A. is his ability to impact winning,” White said.

White added that Allen’s ability to handle the ball, create for others and finish around the basket tends to be overlooked.

Free Agency

Veteran guard Garrison Mathews is taking his game overseas.

Mathews confirmed to Charles Pulliam of The Williamson Herald that he’s joining Olimpia Milano in Italy for the upcoming season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Mathews said. “I didn’t think I’d ever play (overseas), but I got a couple calls with some great offers that were too hard to pass up.”

Mathews, 29, has appeared in 329 NBA games with the Wizards, Rockets, Hawks and Pacers, averaging 6.4 points while shooting 38.2 percent from three.

His most recent NBA stint came with Indiana last season.

Mathews isn’t necessarily closing the door on an NBA return, either.

“My ultimate goal is to have a good year and then hopefully get an opportunity to come back to play,” he said.

Knicks

The Knicks continue to explore the market for a third center.

New York has been in contact with several free-agent big men, according to Ian Begley of SNY, though there doesn’t appear to be an obvious favorite for the job.

Begley noted that if the Knicks were ready to hand one of those players a guaranteed contract, they likely would have done so already.

Instead, unless New York makes a trade or an unexpected option becomes available via waivers, the more likely scenario is bringing multiple centers to training camp on non-guaranteed deals and letting them compete for the final spot.

In other words, the Knicks appear content to let this one play out.