The Charlotte Hornets will have an interesting offseason as they continue to retool their roster in hopes of becoming a more serious playoff contender this season, and reports indicated that they could make a run at signing Carmelo Anthony or acquiring Harrison Barnes.

The Hornets were one of the most surprising teams this season, advancing to the playoffs with a 43-39 record, just a season after finishing with a measly 21-61 record.

Rick Bonnell and Ben Weinrib of the Charlotte Observer reported that the Hornets will be aggressive on the free agency market and on the trade front this summer in hopes of acquiring another big-name free player.

Anthony, who will become an unrestricted free agent in July, is one of the players the Hornets are expected to pursue this offseason.

Reports indicated that team owner Michael Jordan could play a role in luring Anthony to make a move to Charlotte since the superstar forward is one of Jordan Brand's signature athletes.

Signing Anthony is a long shot for the Hornets, though, considering the fact that the All-Star forward made it no secret that he is looking to sign with a team that could give him his first NBA championship and is unwilling to take major pay cut.

"The questions abound: Would he want to be in Charlotte, particularly considering he'd take a significant pay cut by not re-signing with the New York Knicks? And Cllifford's [sic] occasional concerns that the ball 'sticks' (doesn't move quickly enough) could only multiply with Melo around," Bonnell and Weinrib wrote.

And if the Hornets fail to land Anthony, the Charlotte Observer added that the team could make a run at acquiring Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.

Barnes has been mentioned in several trade talks before the deadline earlier in the season, but the Warriors eventually kept the former North Carolina standout.

The Warriors are expected to shop Barnes again this offseason after the 21-year-old forward failed to meet the team's expectations, averaging just 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds this season.

It is still unknown at this point, though, what the Hornets are willing to give up in a deal for Barnes, but Bonnell and Weinrib believe that the Warriors will not ask too much in return for the incoming sophomore forward.

"He seemed to regress between his rookie and second seasons, averaging 9.5 points on 40 percent from the field. Maybe that was a function of the Golden State Warriors adding Andre Iguodala at small forward. The Warriors are taking a hard look at their roster; maybe they wouldn't ask too much in return for Barnes," Bonnell and Weinrib wrote.

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