The Charlotte Hornets made a bold bet when they moved on from LaMelo Ball. In his place, they’re leaning on Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel as the players who will carry the franchise forward.
That’s where the concern starts.
Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon both questioned whether Charlotte is really set up with the kind of centerpiece talent teams need to build around. The Hornets were ranked seventh in future power rankings, a placement that suggests real optimism about what’s ahead. Windhorst, though, wasn’t sold on the idea that the roster already has the true cornerstone pieces in place.
“I think 7th is aggressive here, because ultimately this team still needs cornerstone players,” Windhorst said.
Nobody is arguing that Miller and Knueppel aren’t good players. They are.
The issue is the gap between being solid and being the sort of star who can anchor a championship-level team. That distinction matters, and right now it’s not clear that either Hornets wing fits that top-tier mold.
McMahon was even more direct about the risk Charlotte is taking.
“They think they have two, but I don't think either of those guys are first-team All-NBA in the future type of players, in Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller,” he said.
Ball, the source article notes, was not a guaranteed franchise cornerstone either. But he was closer to that level than Miller or Knueppel are today. That’s the wager Charlotte has made: trading away one major talent and betting that the new direction will eventually produce a stronger foundation.
The upside is obvious enough. The Hornets do have draft capital, and that gives them something to work with.
The problem is that those picks are still far down the road and come with no certainty attached. What Charlotte knows right now is that Miller and Knueppel are the faces of the rebuild, and that comes with real pressure if they don’t rise into a different class of player.
A good way to frame it is the quarterback comparison that comes up in the source. There are plenty of good quarterbacks in the NFL, but the great ones are the ones who consistently reach and win the Super Bowl. Miller and Knueppel may be good quarterbacks in that sense, but the question is whether they can become the kind of players who sit in the Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tier.
That uncertainty creates another complication. Good players get paid like stars because that’s how the market works, and both Miller and Knueppel will eventually get their money.
If Charlotte can keep those deals manageable and use the savings to build depth, the roster could benefit. The source points to the Sam Darnold situation as an example of how that can work.
But if Miller and Knueppel become the franchise faces, the Hornets may end up having to spend near the max on both. That would make it harder to put enough talent around them.
If both players develop into All-NBA-level stars, none of this matters. If they don’t, Charlotte’s new direction could get messy fast.
In Other News...
Hornets Face A Huge Brandon Miller Decision Before The Stakes Rise
Keyonte Georges new five-year, $157.5 million rookie-scale extension has added another layer to the fall extension season, and Brandon Miller now sits in the middle of it for Charlotte. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Miller and Detroits Ausar Thompson are in active talks with their teams, alongside a broader group of young players including Cason Wallace, Brandin Podziemski, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Anthony Black, as front offices continue sorting out their long-term plans before the season gets rolling.
For the Hornets, the timing matters because Miller is already central to the franchises future and any agreement would set the tone for how Charlotte handles its rising core. The market for this class is moving quickly, Thompsons situation is said to be trending toward a deal, and the next round of extension discussions could come in the coming days and weeks, which means the Hornets may not have much time to let this one breathe before the pressure ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Face A Big Change In How They Watch This Season
Hornets fans are going to have a different kind of setup when it comes time to follow the team next season, with Charlotte lining up a new direct-to-consumer media partner to handle local viewing. The move is aimed at giving viewers across the Carolinas a more flexible way to watch games, with streaming options built around live and on-demand access rather than the old one-size-fits-all approach.
DAZN will carry 75 Hornets games in 2026-27, and for many fans the bigger shift may be how much of the schedule lives behind that platform. The service is offering several subscription plans, including a premium tier that adds alternate feeds, multiview and discounts on Hornets merchandise and tickets, which makes the change as much about the broader fan experience as it is about simply finding the game on TV. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller's NBA Standing Says A Lot About Charlotte's New Era
Brandon Millers rise has become one of the clearest signs that Charlottes rebuild has moved into a different phase. After a productive season in which he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, the wing is no longer being talked about only as a promising piece for the future. He is being viewed as a player who already belongs in the conversation with the leagues better small forwards.
For the Hornets, that matters because the roster around Miller has changed in a major way, leaving him in position to carry the offense and shape the teams identity. The expectation now is that he keeps growing into that responsibility, and the fact that his standing around the league is climbing suggests Charlottes new era will be measured in large part by how far he can take it. [Read more 🡒]