The Hornets added another guard to their offseason mix on Tuesday, signing Bez Mbeng after waiving Kobe Stewart on Monday and opening up a spot on the club’s 21-man roster.
Mbeng arrives in Charlotte after going undrafted out of Yale in 2025, but his college resume was hard to miss. He was the Ivy League Player of the Year in his final season and also picked up the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the third straight year.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard spent most of last season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he logged 41 games for Miami’s G League affiliate. In 27.4 minutes per night, he averaged 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.9 steals.
His NBA opportunity came in March, when he landed a pair of 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-season deal with the Jazz. In 15 appearances for Utah, he played 32.8 minutes per game and posted 8.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. He shot 63.8% from inside the arc during that run, but he hit just 19.4% of his threes and 64.0% of his free throws.
Charlotte has spent the past week signing and waiving players with Greensboro in mind, and Mbeng appears to fit that same path. That would point to an Exhibit 10 deal, which could net him a bonus of up to $91K if the Hornets waive him and he then spends at least 60 days with the Swarm.
There’s one wrinkle, though: the Skyforce still hold Mbeng’s NBAGL returning rights, so Greensboro would have to work out a trade to get them.
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The contract side of that equation may be trickier than it first appears. NBA insider Zach Lowe has raised doubts about Charlotte simply handing Miller a max extension, suggesting the sides could end up negotiating toward a deal closer to Amen Thompsons range, while Miller continues rehabbing from left shoulder surgery and has not yet been cleared for basketball activities. For a team trying to map out its next core, the timing makes the decision even more delicate. [Read more 🡒]
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Hornets Fans Are About To Learn What Coby White Changes Most
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The bigger question is how much that steadiness changes the Hornets overall identity. Whites game should give them a firmer offensive floor, but the tradeoff is that he is not the same kind of dynamic facilitator Ball was, which means the ceiling may come down with the volume of creative playmaking. Charlotte will have to adjust around him, and the real answer on this move probably will not come until the offense has had time to settle into its new shape. [Read more 🡒]