Coby White didn’t need long to know the move to Charlotte felt different.
After spending multiple years with the Chicago Bulls, White was traded to the Hornets and immediately felt like he had stepped back into a familiar place. The reason is simple: he grew up in North Carolina, and the return put him back close to family and back in the state where he built so much of his basketball life.
That comfort has carried over into his role on the court, too. White signed a three-year deal worth $74 million with the Hornets, a clear sign that both sides see him as part of the team’s core.
With LaMelo Ball traded away, White has moved into the Hornets’ new franchise point guard spot. He’s leaning into it, not just because it comes with more responsibility, but because it gives him a chance to do it for the team closest to home.
The roster around him is young, which puts White in a different kind of leadership lane. He’s not the oldest player on the team, but he is one of the more established pieces, and he’s accepting that blend of veteran presence and North Carolina roots.
Before moving into the starting role, White appeared in 21 games for Charlotte in the 2025-26 season and averaged 15.6 points, three rebounds, and three assists off the bench. Those numbers figure to climb now that he’s starting at point guard.
"I'm right where I'm supposed to be, I'm right where I belong... Being back in NC, it definitely sparked the light inside me.
I wouldn't say that I was losing my love and joy for the game, but I was trying to search for it. And when I got here, that lit a spark," White said in the Hornets' latest YouTube video that followed the Hornets' point guard.
For Charlotte, White now looks like a central piece. Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel matter a great deal to what the Hornets are building, but White’s value goes beyond scoring and playmaking. He matters in the locker room, in the daily tone of the team, and in the way Charlotte wants to present itself moving forward.
In Other News...
Hornets Face A Tough Roster Call Before Opening Night
With opening night approaching, the Hornets are among several teams still sorting through the bottom end of the roster and monitoring the market for possible movement. Around the league, those decisions are often tied to one another, and the latest chatter underscores how quickly a fringe rotation spot can shift from secure to uncertain as teams weigh trades, waivers and last-minute fits.
According to reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, that wider offseason board includes multiple clubs exploring roster moves, with the Bucks and Lakers discussing a possible Jericho Sims-Dalton Knecht deal and Milwaukee also evaluating other options. Charlottes interest in those ripple effects is less about one specific name than the bigger picture: a crowded market can open doors, but it can also force tough calls before the first game is even played. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face An Awkward Choice With One Recent First Round Pick
As the Hornets sort through their roster before the NBA season, one of the more delicate decisions centers on whether to keep veteran Pat Connaughton around. On paper, it is the kind of move teams make for depth and experience, but for Charlotte it also has a ripple effect because the roster math starts to squeeze a recent first-round pick in Tidjane Salaun.
It is the sort of front-office choice that can say as much about timing as talent. Charlotte is still figuring out how to balance immediate stability with the long view, and Connaughtons situation could force that balance into sharp relief. Around the league, Memphis and Dallas are facing similar roster pressure with veterans and young players, which only underscores how quickly these late-summer decisions can reshape the opening-night picture. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Could Make A Surprise GG Jackson Decision Soon
The Grizzlies are getting close to their roster deadline for the upcoming NBA season, and the front office has already started trimming the edges of the group. Memphis has begun waiving players while also taking a harder look at the market, with NBA insider Jake Fischer reporting that the team is exploring trade options involving GG Jackson II and Walter Clayton Jr. It is the kind of late-summer roster housekeeping that can quickly turn into a bigger decision if a team senses there is a move to be made.
For Memphis, the timing matters because the next few days could shape not just the opening roster, but the longer-term path for a pair of young players who still have value around the league. Any trade discussion at this stage carries real weight, especially with the deadline looming and teams trying to decide whether to hold steady or get proactive before the season begins. What happens next could tell a lot about how the Grizzlies view their depth, and how aggressively they want to manage the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]