With Cody Zeller moving into the Charlotte Bobcats’ lineup, Byron Mullens might be out. The Bobcats won’t make a qualifying offer of about $4 million to Mullens to restrict his free-agency this summer, according to president of basketball operations Rod Higgins. That means the team is giving up its option to match any other team’s offer to the 7-foot forward-center, who spent the past two seasons in Charlotte. Charlotte will extend a qualifying offer to shooting guard Gerald Henderson, Higgins said. With Zeller having similar “stretch 4’’ qualities at power forward – meaning shooting range out to the 3-point line – re-signing Mullens became less of a priority. Mullens averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, starting half the team’s 82 games. The Bobcats’ decision doesn’t preclude them from re-signing Mullens, but now Mullens can treat the Bobcats like any of the other 29 teams in his search for a second NBA contract. Acquired in a 2011 trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mullens started strong last season before suffering a severe ankle sprain in late December. He missed about a month, then never quite regained his form. - See more at: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/06/28/4136197/charlotte-bobcats-wont-make-byron.html
