Bleacher Report thinks the Charlotte Hornets might be able to move on from LaMelo Ball without missing a beat.
In a hot take after the 2026 NBA offseason, Grant Hughes wrote, "No LaMelo, No Problem. The bar here is last year's total of 44 wins. The Hornets can clear it without Ball."
Charlotte traded Ball and then brought back Coby White, who is set to open next season as the starting point guard. The projected first unit also includes Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabate, with Schroder, Allen, O’Neale, Grant Williams, Steinbach and Ryan Kalkbrenner listed as the main bench options.
Not everyone around the team was thrilled with the Ball deal, but Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson said he felt good about it because of the upside he sees in Miller and Knueppel.
"I’m very comfortable," Peterson said. "Charles and I had a conversation with both of them knowing that these trades can be challenging.
Sometimes I do think we forget that we’re human beings dealing with this stuff - lives and its emotions. Those guys are friends and they are in the locker room every day.
At the same time, Charles and I kind of explained, We believe in you guys, too. You guys are here.
We want to continue to see you guys grow. This is going to challenge you guys.
You guys got to continue to get better.' We wouldn’t have made that trade if we didn’t feel comfortable with what they can continue to be developing into."
With Ball out, Miller and Knueppel are expected to get more touches on offense.
Charlotte will begin the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets before coming home for a matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hornets never reached the playoffs in the Ball-Bridges era, and next season will offer a fresh test of whether White, Miller, Knueppel and Reid can lead a different kind of result.
In Other News...
Hornets Face An Awkward Sabonis Question Before Any Deal Happens
With training camp drawing closer, the Hornets are still being mentioned in the Domantas Sabonis chatter that continues to swirl around Sacramento. The idea has enough logic to linger: Charlotte could use another high-level playmaker, and Sabonis would instantly change the way the offense is organized if the two sides ever decided to push a deal across the finish line.
But the fit is not a simple one, and that is where the conversation gets awkward for Charlotte. Any serious trade talk has to wrestle with how Sabonis would be used once he arrived, along with what the Hornets would be giving up to get him, and there is also the question of whether a follow-up extension would even be part of the picture. For now, it is still speculation and scenario work rather than anything close to a completed move. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face A Center Decision That Could Define Their Next Step
Charlotte has already spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster, and the next question hanging over the front office is whether the center spot gets addressed with another swing. The Hornets are still searching for a way to add size and stability in the middle, which has pushed several possible trade ideas into the conversation as the team looks for a move that fits both the timeline and the talent level it wants around its core.
Among the names being floated are Myles Turner of the Milwaukee Bucks, Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks and Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls, each bringing a different type of solution. The appeal is obvious for Charlotte, but the price and the exact path forward remain the real issue, especially with multiple routes on the table and no clear indication yet which one the Hornets would be willing to pursue most aggressively. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Just Made A Greensboro Move Fans Should Actually Care About
The Hornets G League pipeline got a familiar new voice this week, with the Greensboro Swarm naming Zach Peterson as their next head coach after the franchise celebrated its first G League title. Peterson arrives with a deep Charlotte connection, having served as the Hornets director of player development and as an assistant coach, and his hire keeps the Swarm tethered closely to the NBA clubs approach.
Greensboro is now turning the page under its fifth head coach, looking to sustain the winning culture that helped deliver that breakthrough season. Petersons background gives the Swarm a coach who knows the system inside and out and has spent years around NBA-level development, which matters when the G Leagues job is as much about producing players as piling up wins. The only real question now is how smoothly that continuity carries over with a new sideline leader in place. [Read more 🡒]