The Hornets will be without Kon Knueppel for the entire preseason after the team said Friday that the Rookie of the Year runner-up is dealing with a left hamstring injury.
Charlotte plans to reevaluate Knueppel during the first week of the regular season. Even then, Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer notes there’s a chance the rookie could miss more than a few early games, since players usually need time to ramp back up after that kind of checkup, assuming everything goes well. Fowler also reports that a source does not expect the injury to cost Knueppel a significant chunk of his second season.
Elsewhere around the Southeast, the Heat’s G League affiliate filled out its bench. The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced their coaching staff for the 2026/27 season on Sunday, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Mario Casamajor will lead the group as head coach, with Remy NDiaye, Norris Cole, Nate Wilson and Darius Johnson-Odom serving as assistants. Chiang points out that Cole spent his first three-plus NBA seasons with Miami.
In Orlando, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel laid out five questions facing the Magic in training camp, including how the team will adjust to new head coach Sean Sweeney and whether Anthony Black will agree to a rookie scale extension before the October 19 deadline.
The Hawks also got their camp roster in order on Friday. Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks reported Atlanta’s 19-player training camp group, though the final few spots may still be unsettled.
Rowland says the team has been cycling Exhibit 10 players in and out as camp approaches. NBA teams can carry as many as 21 players during the offseason and training camp.
In Other News...
Hawks Eye Jalen Duren As Detroit Faces A Growing Decision
Jalen Durens contract situation in Detroit is starting to take shape as one of the more notable front-office storylines to watch, especially with the October 1 deadline looming for him to choose between an extension and a qualifying offer. The Pistons have made it clear they want to keep the young center in the fold, and president Trajan Langdon has said the team would welcome him back no matter which path he takes, but the sides still have real ground to cover before anything feels settled.
For Atlanta, the intrigue is obvious if Detroits negotiations continue to stall. The Hawks are among the teams monitoring the possibility of a sign-and-trade, along with Milwaukee, Sacramento and Washington, giving this situation a broader market than just one contract dispute. If Duren and the Pistons cannot bridge their gap, the next move could become the kind of team-building opportunity that keeps rival executives watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Media Day Put The Focus On One Big Roster Reality
Media day gave the Hawks their first real chance to frame the 2026-27 season, and it also offered a clear look at how much turnover this group has absorbed since the last time everyone gathered. Returning players mixed with new faces like Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Dorian Finney-Smith, making it feel less like a routine checkpoint and more like the unofficial opening of a roster refresh that has been building for months.
The bigger backdrop is the sheer shape of the camp roster, with Atlanta already set on paper before practices even begin. The Hawks have 15 guaranteed contracts and three two-way deals in place, which leaves little mystery about who is in the mix, but plenty of curiosity about how the front office managed to get here and what the rotation picture will look like once the season starts to take form. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Rookie Is Suddenly Making A Rotation Push Early
Kingston Flemings got an early endorsement at Hawks Media Day, and it came from a veteran whose opinion tends to carry weight. CJ McCollum praised the rookie guards basketball intelligence, defensive ability and steady approach, noting that those traits can matter just as much as raw scoring for a first-year player trying to carve out a role.
For Atlanta, the timing makes the situation interesting. The Hawks have veteran voices around Flemings and a coaching staff that has shown it can reward players who earn trust on the details, which gives him a real path to minutes if he keeps building. The question now is how quickly his game can catch up to the impression he has already made. [Read more 🡒]