Brandon Miller is in line for a massive payday, and the Hornets sound prepared to treat him like a franchise pillar.
The second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is now eligible for a rookie-scale extension with Charlotte, and the expectation is that the deal could climb well past the $200 million mark over five years. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the sides are expected to land on a contract worth more than $200 million, with the annual average clearing $40 million.
“Miller is still projected by various league observers to ultimately come to terms with the Hornets on an extension that could exceed Amen Thompson’s new five-year, $200 million deal with the Rockets,” Stein wrote in his latest report.
He added, “In conversations with front office executives around the NBA this week, there seemed to be a growing consensus among rival decision-makers that Miller’s deal has the potential to be richer in a nod to his higher offensive ceiling,” he explained.
That kind of money tracks with what Miller has already shown in Charlotte. Over his first three seasons, he has put up 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 37.3% from three.
The context around those numbers matters, too. Last season, Miller was the third offensive option behind LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton, two players who are no longer with the team and have been replaced by a veteran, Naz Reid, and a less ball-dominant guard in Coby White.
Now the scoring pecking order looks different. With Kon Knueppel making the kind of rookie-year leap that grabbed the attention of the entire league, Miller has moved from secondary piece to someone who could reasonably be viewed as the top guy. The source puts it plainly: Miller and Knueppel could be seen as 1A and 1B, though Miller still has the edge because he’s already shown over two straight seasons that he can consistently average more than 20 points per game, while Knueppel has only one season on his résumé.
Charlotte also isn’t hiding how it sees Miller. Head coach Charles Lee recently made clear that the organization wants him growing into more than a scorer.
“I want to see him continue to be an elite two-way player, and do it consistently every night,” Lee said, outlining what he expects from Miller as he takes on more on-ball duties.
“He is capable of doing so much for our team and impacting the game in so many ways; I would never put a ceiling on what he’s able to accomplish for us.”
“We want to keep pushing the envelope with Brandon. Brandon wants us to keep pushing him.
He wants to guard the best player. He wants to continue to be in an offensive action so that he can be a playmaker… he did a heck of a job of impacting the game on both ends,” Lee concluded.
Estimates put Miller’s next deal in the $220 million to $270 million range, and if it lands above $200 million, he’d be making more than $40 million per year. According to the source, only 44 players in the league currently earn that much.
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Brandon Miller Just Became Charlottes Most Important Reason For Hope
Brandon Miller has already made himself central to the Hornets long-term picture, and coach Charles Lee is leaning into that idea rather than trying to box it in. After a season in which Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, Lee described him as the kind of player who can grow into an elite two-way force, the sort of foundation a team can build around while it tries to climb back toward relevance.
That vision matters even more because Charlotte is mapping out a future lineup that could feature Miller alongside Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabat when the 2026-27 season opens. The Hornets are already talking like a team that wants to get back to the playoffs, and Miller sits at the center of that conversation, with his next leap likely to shape how high this group can go. [Read more 🡒]