The Empty Chair

The Hornets were expensive in the worst way. Their highest-paid player, athletic scoring guard Devon Harlan, sold jerseys but did not defend and needed the ball to justify his contract. Veteran forward Miles Reddick was owed twenty-seven million and had bad knees. Center Alonzo Voss set hard screens, complained about touches, and blocked younger players from minutes. The team owed future seconds, had limited cap flexibility, and carried the psychological weight of a decade of losing. Daniel stared at the numbers until they stopped being numbers. They were doors. If he traded Harlan before the season, national television would laugh.