Gerald Henderson says he wants to re-sign with Bobcats

Gerald Henderson, in his fourth year, is having his best season, and it’s good timing. This summer, he’ll be a free agent, likely a restricted one. Coming off his rookie-scale deal, Henderson has his first chance to secure a big medium contract.

But he hinted he’s not thinking about only money. Henderson, via Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer:

“I know one thing – the Bobcats have stuck with me,” Henderson said of free-agency. “So if we can work it out, (re-signing in Charlotte) would be a good thing.”

The Bobcats have stuck with Henderson, because Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – despite his flashes of stellar play – is too raw to contribute much, and Jeff Taylor has shown even less. When Ben Gordon, who’s shooting even worse than he ever did in Detroit, is a main alternative, Charlotte has no choice but to stick with Henderson.

Maybe Henderson, who attended Duke, likes living in North Carolina. If that’s why he wants to give the Bobcats a hometown discount, that would make sense. Otherwise, accepting less money seems misguided.

Charlotte would be wise to tread softly, too.

None of the Bobcats’ five starters – Kemba Walker, Henderson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Byron Mullins and Bismack Biyombo – post more than .08 win shares per 48 minutes (league-average player: 0.1). In fact, every single Charlotte player is below average. The Bobcats severely lack talent, and Henderson is a very replaceable starter.

Henderson re-signing with the Bobcats might make sense, but neither side should worry much about loyalty to the other. This isn’t an arrangement worth going great lengths to preserve.