The Charlotte Hornets trimmed their roster Saturday night by waiving guard Ryan Nembhard, just four days after bringing him in from the Atlanta Hawks. It was the move everyone saw coming, but it still marked the first cut in a crowded Charlotte backcourt as training camp looms.
Charlotte’s roster crunch has been building since the trade that sent forward Dorian Finney-Smith to Atlanta for Nembhard, Buddy Hield, and cash. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sept. 22 that the Hornets planned to waive Nembhard as part of that deal, and both teams made the trade official that night. Then, earlier Saturday, Charania reported that Charlotte is sending Hield and cash to the Chicago Bulls for guard Rob Dillingham.
That second trade matters because it changes the math. Once the Atlanta deal was completed, Charlotte had 18 players on standard contracts, which is three more than it can keep during the regular season. Dillingham replaces Hield in the Bulls deal, leaving Nembhard as the first of the three extra players to go.
Charlotte’s point guard picture is already taking shape around Coby White, who is expected to start after the Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. Dennis Schröder and rookie Christian Anderson Jr. are also on the roster at the position.
Nembhard’s path to this point moved quickly. Dallas signed him to a two-way contract on July 3, 2025 after he went undrafted out of Gonzaga.
He turned that opportunity into a real rookie season, appearing in 60 games with 27 starts and averaging 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 19.5 minutes. He shot 41.5% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range.
One of his best nights came Dec. 1, when he put up 28 points and 10 assists without a turnover in Dallas’ 131-121 road win over the Denver Nuggets. He went 12-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. When the Mavericks announced March 2 that they had signed him to a multi-year standard contract, they said that performance made him the first undrafted rookie in NBA history to record at least 25 points and 10 assists with zero turnovers.
Dallas exercised Nembhard’s team option for 2026-27 on June 29, according to Spotrac, at $2,150,917. Twenty days later, he was traded to Atlanta in a three-team deal that brought Zaccharie Risacher, the first overall pick in 2024, to Dallas.
Atlanta also received Luguentz Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nembhard never played a game for the Hawks.
Charlotte’s current move comes after Finney-Smith’s own short stay with the Hornets. He arrived on July 6 from the Houston Rockets along with three second-round picks, and he has three seasons left on a four-year, $52.7 million contract, including a player option for 2028-29.
If Nembhard gets through waivers, he should draw interest on a two-way deal. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the Nuggets are among the teams interested.
Charlotte holds media day Monday at 11 a.m. ET.
Training camp begins Tuesday at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C., and runs through Oct. 2.
The Hornets’ preseason opener is set for Oct. 6 against the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center, with tipoff at 7 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Rob Dillingham Already Feels Like A Hornets Roster Question
Rob Dillingham is barely in the door and already feels like one of the Hornets cleaner roster questions. Charlotte acquired him from the Chicago Bulls, but he will miss the teams media day, a small detail that still says plenty about how quickly this move has turned from a fresh addition into a numbers game for the front office.
The bigger backdrop is Charlottes roster crunch, with the team needing to get down to 15 standard contracts before opening night. Dillingham is under contract now and has already been with three NBA teams since being drafted in 2024, yet there has been little public indication from Jeff Peterson that the Hornets view him as a long-term piece, which leaves his place on the roster looking very much unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets May Have Just Let A Young Guard Slip Away
The Hornets latest trade-deadline move brought Dorian Finney-Smith into Charlotte while sending Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations to Atlanta, a deal that looked more like a veteran shuffle than a long-term roster swing. But the transaction may have had an overlooked angle for Charlotte, because Nembhard came in as part of the package and brought the kind of young backcourt intrigue teams often try to uncover in these swaps.
Now there is a real chance he does not stay available for long. The Nuggets have shown interest in adding Nembhard on a two-way contract if he clears waivers, and Denver also recently signed 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore to a two-way NBA deal, a reminder that clubs around the league are still hunting for developmental guards wherever they can find them. For the Hornets, it is the sort of small personnel decision that can linger if a young player finds a cleaner path elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets New Depth Faces An Early Test Before Opening Night
Charlottes new-look roster is already dealing with an early setback, with Grant Williams and Kon Knueppel sidelined by hamstring injuries that will keep both out of all four preseason games. The injuries happened during offseason activity, and the Hornets plan to re-evaluate both players when the regular season approaches, leaving an otherwise busy camp with a little less clarity than they would have hoped.
Even so, Williams has been struck by how much deeper the group looks after the offseason overhaul. The Hornets moved on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, then added several new faces, including Coby White, Dorian Finney-Smith, Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and Rob Dillingham, giving the roster a very different feel as the team tries to sort out roles before opening night. [Read more 🡒]