The Charlotte Hornets should extend Jeremy Lamb's contract

Jeremy Lamb has yet to play a second for the Charlotte Hornets, but the 23-year-old wing may already be one of their best guards and they don't even know it. 

Lamb comes to the Hornets with career averages of 7.0 points, 1.1 assists and 42.2 percent shooting from the field. He didn't exactly light the court on fire with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but is plenty athletic, long and has a nice outside stroke.

For a few other reasons, the team may want to extend his contract before the Halloween deadline, per SB Nation's At the Hive:

"In other words, Lamb's stock will rise, because for the first time he's going to get the necessary minutes to put up numbers that warrant a multi-year deal. Whether he does that remains a question mark, but if the team likes what they've seen from him this summer and in training camp, they could entertain an extension this fall. Extending a player before he's even played a game probably isn't the smartest move, but the idea is understandable given next year's salary cap jump. Say Lamb ends up as one of Charlotte's better rotation players this season, he could end up with an outrageous offer from another team. The salary cap is going to jump again, and given some of the deals role players received this summer, the Hornets could find themselves in a bind if another team offers Lamb a lot of money."

So long as the money isn't insane, this could work. Charlotte will have a busy summer ahead, especially if they don't extend Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Nicolas Batum and Al Jefferson will both be unrestricted free agents, and the team needs as much cap space as possible. If Lamb is already taken care of and locked in below his market value, all the better.

There's risk here, too. If Lamb explodes and they get him at a cheap price then they look like geniuses. But if they re-sign a player who has yet to show in his first three seasons that he's worth any type of commitment, and he can't get off the bench this year, then, well, Michael Jordan won't be a very happy camper.

(h/t: At the Hive)