That Charlotte had finished in a four-way tie with the Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics with 48 regular season wins was a testament to the job Coach Steve Clifford and General Manager Rich Cho had done with a roster with some intriguing pieces, but one that also endured injuries – specifically to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – all season.

After six terrific games against the Heat, though, the Hornets fell apart in Game 7 in Miami, losing by 33 points to end a promising season, one that included the franchise’s first playoff wins since coming back to the league.

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Now the Hornets enter an offseason full of uncertainty – one that will make it challenging for Cho and Clifford to keep this team together next season and beyond.

2016 draft picks

First round: Their own (22nd overall).

Second round: None.

2016-17 salary cap space (with projected $92 million cap)

$32.8 million (Six players for $45.9 million; $1.2 for one pick; $2.2 million player option for Jeremy Lin). Doesn’t include Aaron Harrison’s non-guaranteed contract.

2016 free agents

PG Jeremy Lin (player option), PG Jorge Gutierrez (restricted), SG Troy Daniels (restricted), SG Courtney Lee, SG Nicolas Batum, SF Marvin Williams, PF Tyler Hansbrough, C Al Jefferson

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Five questions to answer

1. What’s next for Nicolas Batum?

The Hornets did a very un-small market thing last summer: They moved Noah Vonleh – only a year after taking him with the ninth overall pick – to Portland as part of a package for shooting guard Nicolas Batum. Charlotte bet that Batum’s nagging wrist injury had sapped his production, and a new environment would allow him to bounce back.

Sure enough, Batum thrived in Charlotte, becoming a borderline all-star with the Hornets and helping lead Charlotte’s revolution. The foot injury he suffered during the Hornets’ first-round loss to the Heat was a big reason why Charlotte wound up going home early.

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Batum, however, is going to be a free agent, and there will be tons of interest in his services. Charlotte is able to offer him a fifth year and by far the most money. If the Hornets want to keep Batum, it seems like doing that will be the only way to ensure he returns. But will Michael Jordan be willing to spend that type of cash?

2. What comes next for Jeremy Lin?

Last summer, Lin was left without a clear landing spot, and wound up signing a below-market deal with the Hornets. It wound up becoming a stroke of genius for both sides, with Lin forming a nice 1-2 punch at point guard with Kemba Walker.

Lin, however, has a $2.2 million player option for this summer, and it’s a virtual certainty he will opt out and test the open market, where it seems likely he’ll get somewhere in the neighborhood of five times that amount – if not more.

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So where will he play? A return to Charlotte would make sense, if he is happy playing a sixth-man role. An intriguing possibility in a similar role would be San Antonio, which could use a penetrating point guard off the bench. The guess here, though, is that he winds up in either Brooklyn or Philadelphia, giving one of those two teams the starting point guard they need.

3. Can Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stay healthy?

Here is the list of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s games played over the first four years of his NBA career (in chronological order): 78, 62, 55, 7.

That’s not ideal for someone who is the former No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and is one of the best defensive players in the league when he’s right. Kidd-Gilchrist has his shortcomings – particularly his lack of shooting ability – but he brings enough to the table that you have to find a way to make things work if he’s available.

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While Kidd-Gilchrist signed a team-friendly extension last summer (four years, $52 million), it won’t matter if he can’t stay healthy.

4. Does a return for Al Jefferson make sense?

Signing Al Jefferson three years ago was similar for the Hornets to the Batum move last summer: a shot across the bow to the rest of the NBA that, despite playing in a small market, the Hornets are capable of being active in free agency.

And, in his three years in Charlotte, Big Al has basically been exactly what he’s always been. He’s still a player that’s effective on the low block, one who can attract a double team and is able to gobble up rebounds, as well.

Here’s the problem, though: He’s never been the most athletic guy, and as injuries have mounted, he’s become both less mobile and less available. He, like Kidd-Gilchrist, has seen his games played decline each year in Charlotte (from 73 to 65 to 47). And now that he’s a free agent, but not a defensive force, the Hornets have a question to face: do they try and bring Jefferson back at a reduced number? Or do they move on and focus on a rim-protector – something they could really use?

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5. What is Frank Kaminsky’s future?

When Charlotte turned down a package of several draft picks from the Boston Celtics last June and then took Frank Kaminsky with the No. 9 overall selection – instead of Justise Winslow, the player Boston wanted and who went to Miami with the No. 10 pick – it became a signpost moment for the Hornets, who clearly were big fans of Kaminsky.

But after his rookie year, it’s still hard to figure out exactly what to make of him. He was solid during the regular season, averaging 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting just under 34 percent from three-point range, but in a rookie class full of players who appear to have star potential, Kaminsky looks a lot more like current teammate Spencer Hawes than a significant difference maker.

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He got a chance to start in that first-round series against the Heat, and had some good moments while doing so. Going into next season he’s undoubtedly going to get a bigger role under Clifford, and we’ll see if he can turn it into more production than what he did as a rookie.

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