Hornets won't extend Cho, will reportedly chase ex-Lakers GM Kupchak

Michael Jordan apparently wants a fellow ex-Tar Heel to come in and shake things up for his struggling Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets announced Tuesday they won't extend the contract of general manager Rich Cho.

Instead, they'll pursue former Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Kupchak would form a partnership with assistant GM Buzz Peterson as a new management group replacing Cho, who's managed the team since 2011.

Cho's time with the Hornets is colored by Jordan's heavy-handed approach to the roster, but it's otherwise difficult to defend his tenure. The Hornets field one of the NBA's most expensive teams after he gave expensive contracts to a host of middling role players. As such, they have $117 million in salary committed to next season for a team that's nine games under .500.

But then again, Kupchak's record is also shaky. His last two major moves were to sign Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov to a combined $136 million in the same summer, a move which crippled the Lakers' cap.