Mourning ends holdout; signs contract with Hornets
CHARLOTTE. N.C (AIM
The Churlotto Hornets have
reached a contract agreement
with Alonzo Mourning, ending
the holdout by their No 1 draft
pick, a newspaper reported
Wednesday
The Hornets and Mourning
agreed to a multiyear deal, end
ing an impasse that kept the t>
foot-10 rookie center from
Georgetown out of the Hornets
preseason schedule and the
first three games of the n-gular
season, The Charlotte Observer
reported, quoting an NflA
source dose to the negotiations
Hornets president. Spenter
Slolpon, expressed hope that
Mourning stwm would hn wear
ing .1 Hornets uniform, hut do
t lined to confirm that an ac -
cord had tx-on re.u hetl
We re very dost'." Stolpen
said m a tolephotu inters less
early Wednesday lie would
not say whether a first year sal
ary of Slit 5 million t iled in one
report was at t unite
"I won't even tell you if
that s t lose. " he s.nti
Stolpen said he expet ted to
resume talks with Mourning's
agent. David Fa||i "I can't pre
diet exactly when, but I'm con
fident it will happen very
soon." he said
While the Hornets .ire off to a
i-1 start, most observers con
sider Mourning the final coin
ponent in Charlotte's bid to
make the playoffs for the first
time in the ( lull's five year his
tory His rebounding and de
fensive skills are just what the
Hornets need after finishing
near the bottom of the league in
I Kith (categories last season
Currently the Hornets are
splitting time at i enter between
*i fool 1 1 Mike Cmlriski and t> H
Kenny Gall Ison
Stolpon was unavailable for
further comment on Wednes
day A Hornets spokesman said
he would In- tied up in meet
ings until the start of the Hor
nets ('elites game at 7:30 p m
The spokesman said no mime
dtate announcement was es
pected
f-'alk did not return phone
tails to liis office in Washing
ton D C
Mourning, the No 2 overall
pick in the draft last Juno,
could join the team sometime
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this week However. the Hor
nets must first reduce their pay
roll la fit Mourning's fits', sea
son salarv under the NBA's $14
million per-team salary cap
The Hornets have 51.96 mil
lion available under their salary
rap this year To sign him. they
will need a n additional
$300,000 to $500,000, the Ob
server sa id
They i an do so by iradiug a
player or renegotiating one or
more contra ts I'or weeks, the
Hornets have been discussing
potential trades
Recent reports have indicated
the Hornets are working on a
deal that would firing disgrun
tled Detroit Pistons forward
Dennis Rodman to Charlotte in
exchange for I K Reid and
Johnny Newman.
Six NBA scouts attended one
of the Hornets’ preseason
games, heightening speculation
that Charlotte was trying to
work a deal.
Hornets owner George Shinn
and John Thompson, Mourn
ing's college coach, expanded
their roles in the talks last
week, bringing the sides closer.
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