The Charlotte Hornets are in training camp now, which means the preseason and regular season are getting close. Basketball is about to matter again, but there are already a couple of issues hanging over the team.
One of them is the roster crunch. The bigger one is Brandon Miller’s extension, and nothing has been settled yet. If the Hornets let this drag into the season, Miller could end up playing out his contract year, and that creates two real risks for the organization.
The first is financial. If Miller stays healthy and turns in a strong season, his price tag could climb all the way to a max deal.
Charlotte could avoid that by getting something done now, before his value rises any further. Right now, Miller is not worth a max contract, though he very well could be later.
That is exactly why an early extension could wind up being a bargain.
Miller could sign for as much as $275 million over five years. He would not get that figure if he signed today, which is why the Hornets should move now. Getting ahead of the market could save them more than $10 million per year, and that kind of difference matters when you are trying to build out a competitive roster.
Amen Thompson signed for $208 million, so Miller would likely land above that number with Charlotte. Even so, anything above $220 million feels less likely, and that would still mean about $11 million in annual savings. That is roughly the kind of money tied up in players like Collin Gillespie, Dean Wade, and other solid role players.
The Hornets have spent a lot of effort creating financial flexibility, and this is another moment where Jeff Peterson and company have to decide how aggressive they want to be. They need to know Miller is worth a long-term commitment, but they also cannot afford to let his value spike even higher before acting.
The other risk is worse in a different way: Miller could choose to head into restricted free agency next offseason. That route has gone badly for players who have tried it recently, including Jalen Duren and Jonathan Kuminga, because the leverage has shifted away from the player.
And if it got to that point, it would point to a relationship that has frayed at least a little. If the Hornets traded 40% of their starting lineup to make Miller the face of the franchise and he still went into restricted free agency, that would not be a good sign for anyone involved.
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Head coach Charles Lee has spent the offseason steering the conversation toward a new way of winning, one built on taking the game seriously on the defensive end and supporting that vision with experienced help. The additions of Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen fit that plan, but the Hornets still have to prove the pieces can come together fast enough to keep the season from becoming another long lesson in development. [Read more 🡒]