Brandon Miller isn’t pretending the LaMelo Ball trade was easy.
As Charlotte keeps reshaping its roster around him, Miller has been pushed into a far bigger role with the Hornets. The team has made several major trades since drafting him in 2023, and the Ball move was the one that changed everything. What was once a roster built around Ball is now tilting toward Miller, who has become the focal point of a franchise looking for a fresh direction.
When asked about the trade, Miller didn’t dress it up.
"Definitely a tough moment, but we also have to realize the business side of the NBA," Miller said. "I always preach, I'll always be a brother away from home to LaMelo [Ball], Miles [Bridges], Mark [Williams], even the previous guys, P.J. [Washington]."
He added, "Always being a little brother away from home, always one call away. Just having that bond where it's not that we have to talk because we're on the same team, but he's my actual brother. I believe in him, I believe in what he does, and I support his career."
That response fits the tone Miller has carried since entering the league as a high-end 2023 prospect and a major consolation prize for teams that missed out on Victor Wembanyama, which Charlotte narrowly did. He flashed quickly enough to justify the hype, and the Hornets are now banking on that promise turning into something bigger this season.
The trade also leaves Miller with more on his plate. He’ll be asked to shoulder more offense, and he won’t have Ball setting him up for the easy looks that came with their time together. That’s the tradeoff when a team hands the keys to a young wing: more responsibility, less margin for error.
Still, Miller’s comments showed a player who understands where he is and what comes with it. He’s on his rookie contract, but his view of the league already sounds like someone who gets the math behind roster building. For Charlotte, that kind of maturity matters as much as the box score right now.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Puts Hornets Under Pressure With Crucial Decision Looming
Brandon Miller is heading into a familiar kind of early-career test for a former first-round pick: the extension window is open, the market is setting itself, and the Hornets still do not have a long-term deal in place with one of their core young players. Miller, selected in the 2023 draft, remains unsigned as other players from that same class have already locked in their next contracts, a reminder that these negotiations can move quickly for some teams and linger for others.
For Charlotte, the situation is less about immediate panic than about timing and control. Millers next step could still come later, and the Hornets would keep a measure of protection if he ends up in restricted free agency next summer, but the fact remains that the calendar is doing them no favors right now. In a league where extension decisions often signal how firmly a franchise is tying itself to a young player, this one has become a quietly important checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Have A Sneaky-Big Diabate Decision Coming Soon
The rookie-scale extension window has turned into a meaningful checkpoint around the league, and for Charlotte it has quietly put Moussa Diabate in the spotlight. What began as a two-way story has become something much more important for the Hornets, who have watched him climb from a depth option into a player they now lean on in a starting role.
Diabate does not have the name value of some of the bigger extension candidates, but he has played well enough to make this a real front office decision, not just a bookkeeping exercise. Charlotte will have to balance the timing, the price, and the risk of letting a useful young big get closer to the open market, which is why this is shaping up as one of the more interesting contract questions on the teams calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Naz Reid Is Already Setting A Tone Hornets Fans Will Notice
Naz Reids first season in Charlotte is already drawing attention inside the locker room, and not just because he arrived in the trade that sent LaMelo Ball to Minnesota. The Hornets are off to a 1-1 start in preseason, but the early buzz around Reid has more to do with the habits he is bringing than anything he has done in games so far. His approach has stood out to teammates as the kind of day-to-day professionalism that can shape a teams tone long before the regular season begins.
Tidjane Salaun, heading into his second season with the Hornets, has been one of the players taking notice of Reids work. For a young roster still trying to build consistency, having a veteran presence committed to the details can matter as much as any box score line. Reids early impact in Charlotte is still unfolding, but the message he is sending is already clear: the standard starts long before tipoff. [Read more 🡒]