The Charlotte Hornets are heading into a training camp that already feels loaded with pressure points, and Brandon Miller sits at the center of almost all of them. His extension eligibility arrived on July 1, but there still isn’t a new deal in place. That’s a little surprising, especially with the Hornets having traded LaMelo Ball and Miller looking like the player they should be building around for the future.
Miller’s recovery from offseason left shoulder surgery only adds another layer to the situation. There’s been very little clarity on whether he’ll be ready for camp, the preseason, or even the start of the regular season.
Right now, he’s Charlotte’s best player and its most important two-way presence, so his health matters in a big way. If he’s back, the Hornets have a chance to push past expectations.
If he isn’t, that changes a lot.
There’s also the contract angle hanging over everything. Miller is entering his fourth season, and getting an extension done before camp would make a lot of sense for Charlotte. Waiting could mean paying a much steeper price after a breakout season.
If Miller’s status is the biggest immediate question, Ball’s departure is the one that changes the whole feel of the season. He’s been part of the franchise every year since 2020, and Charlotte looked like it made a major jump last season with him driving the offense.
Now he’s gone, and the Hornets have to answer a bigger question: can they get back to that level, and can they stay there without him? The team is clearly focused on the future, but whatever Ball does in Minnesota will still be looming over this group.
The other major issue is chemistry. Outside of Kon Knueppel, most of the key Hornets had already played together, and by the sound of it, the group had strong chemistry.
That continuity is gone now. Charlotte has a lot of new pieces, and training camp becomes the first real chance for everyone to figure out how to fit together.
It also puts the coaching staff in a tricky spot, because the rotation may be deeper than it was before, and Charles Lee has to sort out how to use all of it.
In Other News...
Hornets Still Have A Credibility Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Hornets entered the offseason with a familiar burden hanging over them, and a recent Zach Lowe ranking only reinforced it. Lowe placed Charlotte second among seven NBA teams that have not won a playoff series in the 2020s, a reminder of how far the franchise still has to climb after finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference last season and carrying a postseason drought that dates all the way back to 2002.
Charlottes summer reshaped the roster in a major way, too, with LaMelo Ball heading to Minnesota and Miles Bridges later being moved to Phoenix in separate June deals. Those kinds of changes can signal a reset, but they also leave the Hornets trying to answer the same lingering question they have faced for years: whether the talent in place is enough to finally move the franchise beyond the skepticism that comes with so little recent playoff proof. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hornets Veteran Calls Time On A Long NBA Career
Taj Gibsons long run in the NBA has come to a close, bringing an end to a career that stretched across 17 seasons and more than 1,000 games. The veteran big man, drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2009, carved out a reputation as a steady presence wherever he landed, and Charlotte was one of the stops on that journey during the 2024-25 season.
For the Hornets, Gibson was one of those experienced voices who can matter even in a brief stay, especially for a young roster looking for structure and professionalism. He ultimately finished his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, and while the final chapter is now written, the next one is only beginning to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Just Lost Something Important Before Training Camp
For the first time in the Charlotte Observers history, the Hornets are headed toward training camp without a dedicated beat reporter at the paper. Rod Boone had covered the team for five years, and his role was eliminated in the latest McClatchy layoffs, a move that also hit other sports departments within the company, including the Sacramento Bee.
The timing stings for Hornets fans because it comes just as the team is getting ready to shift into a new season and the usual flow of camp coverage, roster questions and daily updates should be ramping up. It also lands soon after Boone had been told his Hornets podcast would be allowed to return, adding another layer to a decision that leaves a noticeable gap in the local coverage around the team. [Read more 🡒]