Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets: Record last year: 48-34 Postseason results: Lost to Heat in the first round, 4-3. Additions: Ramon Sessions, Roy Hibbert, Marco Belinelli,

Charlotte Hornets: Record last year: 48-34

Postseason results: Lost to Heat in the first round, 4-3.

Additions: Ramon Sessions, Roy Hibbert, Marco Belinelli, Brian Roberts, Christian Wood, Mike Tobey, RasheedSulaimon, Andrew Andrews, Treveon Graham, Perry Ellis

Subtractions: Troy Daniels, Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee, Al Jefferson, TylerHansbrough, Jorge Gutierrez

Biggest move: Signing Nicolas Batum

​Projected Finish: Fifth in Eastern Conference

​Entertainment ranking: 22. Kemba Walker’s career year, fueled by better spacing around him, keyed a much-improved offense. Will that progress continue after Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams cashed in this summer? — Ben Golliver

Preseason power ranking: 13. Steve Clifford appears to have built something sustainable, but the Hornets will demand a lot from a veteran core to scrape at 50 wins again. Do they have another gear? — Jeremy Woo

​One Number: 3. Their biggest off-season moves weren’t acquisitions but retentions. Charlotte brought Nicolas Batum back on a five-year, $120 million contract to facilitate the offense. Marvin Williams, who was a revelation last year at power forward, signed a four-year deal worth $54.5 million.

But the price of holding on to the pair was high. The  Hornets ­couldn’t afford to retain guards Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee, and—in a decision that was as much stylistic as ­financial—they let low-post scorer Al Jefferson sign with the Pacers. Each of those three key lost rotation players will largely be replaced by budget pickups (point guard Ramon Sessions and center Roy Hibbert) or internal reorganization (shooting guard Jeremy Lamb and center Spencer Hawes).

Charlotte will benefit from the return of Michael Kidd-­Gilchrist, who played just seven games last season due to a shoulder injury. But Batum and Kemba Walker are already coming off career years; it’s unreasonable to expect them to do more with less talent around them. Following a season in which they improved by 15 wins, a touch of regression is likely. Charlotte simply doesn’t have the same resources, no matter how Steve Clifford might try to make ends meet. — Rob Mahoney

Scouting report:"I’m leaning toward the Hornets to win the division, but they actually took a half-step backward. [Departed free-agent guards] Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee had great years, and [departed free-agent center] Al Jefferson was a guy you could rely on to score. . . . Can Kemba Walker get much better? I don’t think he even needs to. If he consistently has the kind of year he had last year, they’ll be good. . . . Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is excellent defensively but really limited offensively. Steve Clifford has always emphasized defense and built his team around it. . . . A big part of it was that they changed the way they played. When ­Jefferson was playing with his butt on the post, they were throwing it in and cutting off. That’s not Kemba’s game. Kemba needs a high pick. Then they installed Cody Zeller. Walker had his best games when Zeller was on the floor and they were running pick-and-roll while spacing the floor. . . . Marvin Williams did what he was supposed to do: plant himself in the corner and make threes. He earned himself a nice contract. As long as he can find space, he’s gonna make shots. . . . Why are they bringing Marco Belinelli in? They must not be high on Jeremy Lamb. You see flashes with Lamb, then he disappears. It seems like he doesn’t have a strong motor, even though he has good skills. . . . As he gets stronger, Frank Kaminsky’s asset will be his shooting—being able to stretch the floor as a four. He’s not a center—he has small shoulders, he’s thin, he doesn’t have the strength. Once he starts making shots, he’ll be pretty good for them."

Bottom line: Big losses mean they won't stand out from the crowded pack in the middle of the East.