Coby White is stepping into a bigger role in Charlotte, and the move comes with a fresh payday to match.
After the Hornets sent LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade, White is expected to open next season as Charlotte’s starting point guard. The projected lineup also includes Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabaté.
White and the Hornets reached agreement this offseason on a three-year, $74 million contract. Charlotte got White from the Chicago Bulls in February, and he made a strong impression in his short run with the team. In 21 games, he averaged 15.6 points per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 83.9% from the foul line.
For the full 2025-26 season, White finished at 17.4 points per game between Chicago and Charlotte. The Bulls selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and he now carries career averages of 15.4 points per game.
Charlotte’s season ended with a play-in split: a win over the Miami Heat in the first game, then a loss to the Orlando Magic in the second, which kept the Hornets out of the playoffs again.
The Hornets still haven’t reached the postseason since 2016, but the roster has changed quickly around White. This year’s draft brought in Hannes Steinbach from Washington at No. 14 and Christian Anderson Jr. from Texas Tech at No. 18.
It has been a busy offseason in Charlotte. Along with Ball and Josh Green, the Hornets sent out a package to Minnesota and brought back Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks. They also moved Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and a 2033 first-round pick.
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Hornets Fans Have A New Reason To Question This Dorian Finney-Smith Move
The Hornets added veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith in a move that has already added another layer to a busy offseason in Charlotte. He came over from the Houston Rockets, giving the team another experienced name to sort through as it continues reshaping the roster around a wave of recent activity that has already included trades involving LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and Miles Bridges, along with two selections in the draft.
What makes this one stand out is the uncertainty attached to it. Finney-Smith is the kind of player teams usually target for stability and lineup flexibility, but the fit in Charlotte is not as straightforward as the transaction sheet suggests, and the move leaves fans wondering how much immediate value the Hornets actually expect to get from it. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Lock In Final Two-Way Spots After Telling Roster Decision
The Hornets have now settled their Two-Way picture for the upcoming season, adding forward Michael Ajayi and guard Kylan Boswell to round out the trio of spots. Center PJ Hall remains on a Two-Way deal from last season, giving Charlotte a small but important bit of continuity as the team sorts through the back end of its roster heading into summer action.
Ajayi and Boswell are both expected to get their first look in Hornets colors during NBA Summer League, which gives Charlotte a chance to evaluate two young players in a competitive setting. For a team still shaping its depth chart, those minutes matter, even if the bigger roster questions are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Offseason Just Got Busier With Moves Fans Will Debate
The Hornets offseason keeps picking up speed, and the latest moves give the front office a little more to sell as it tries to shape a roster that can actually fit together. Charlotte finalized a trade with Houston for veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, adding a proven defender and another layer of toughness to a team that has been looking for more stability on the wing. The club also made Coby Whites new contract official, a move that signals some continuity for a young core that still needs clear direction.
For Hornets fans, the debate is less about whether the team has been active and more about whether these are the right kinds of moves to matter. Finney-Smith brings a profile that should help in a number of ways, but Charlotte still has to prove it can turn offseason activity into real momentum once the games count. Whites deal locks in another piece of the puzzle, and now the bigger question is how the rest of the roster will be built around him. [Read more 🡒]