The Charlotte Hornets are heading into a new era, but the wins projection hasn’t caught up yet. Bleacher Report has Charlotte finishing 41-41 this season, a step back from last year’s 44-38 mark.
That comes after a wildly active offseason that changed the shape of the roster. LaMelo Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miles Bridges was dealt to the Phoenix Suns and Tre Mann went to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, the Hornets brought in Naz Reid from Minnesota, Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale from Phoenix, and Dennis Schroder from Cleveland.
With Ball and Bridges gone, Charlotte is now built around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Head coach Charles Lee is projected to open with Coby White, Miller, Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabate.
Miller is the centerpiece of that group. He played in 65 games last season, his third NBA campaign, and put up 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from three and 89.2% at the line. For his career, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft is averaging 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Knueppel also gave Charlotte a lot to like, even without winning the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award. The swingman averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, shot 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from deep and 86.3% from the free-throw line, and led the NBA in 3-pointers.
Reid is another major piece in the mix, and Hornets fans have plenty of reason to be intrigued by what he can do next to White, Miller and Knueppel. Reid was the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year and owns regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, along with playoff averages of 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
He also arrives off a strong season in Minnesota, where he averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the field, 36.2% from beyond the arc and 73.2% from the foul line. He added six double-doubles.
White brings a different kind of local connection to the roster. Born and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina, he starred at Greenfield School in Wilson and later played at UNC. Charlotte acquired him from the Bulls in February, and in 21 games with the Hornets he averaged 15.6 points while shooting 46.1% from the field, 39.1% from three and 83.9% from the foul line.
Charlotte opens the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. The home opener comes against the Atlanta Hawks.
In Other News...
Hornets May Have Another Frontcourt Option Showing Up Fast
Hannes Steinbach keeps showing up like he belongs in the conversation, and for the Hornets that is becoming more than a preseason curiosity. The rookie, taken 14th overall, has already put together strong showings in Summer League and carried that form into exhibition play, giving Charlotte another frontcourt name to track as it sorts through its options.
Against Memphis, Steinbach again gave the Hornets a useful glimpse of what he can bring, and coach Charles Lee came away focusing less on the box score than on the way the rookie approaches the job. Even in a loss, Charlotte has reason to keep leaning into that kind of production, especially if his steady habits continue to translate as the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Could Revisit A Familiar Roster Gamble Fans Will Debate
A familiar name is back in the conversation around Charlottes roster as the Hornets weigh another look at Dalton Knecht, the former first-round pick who was recently released by the Lakers. Knecht is now a free agent, and the appeal for Charlotte is pretty clear: hes a young shooter with some upside, and he could be the kind of low-risk addition that adds a little more depth on the wing without forcing the team to make a bigger commitment.
Theres also a little history here that makes the possibility more intriguing for Hornets fans. Charlotte has already tracked Knecht closely, and his availability gives the front office a chance to revisit a player it clearly liked before. Whether the fit turns into anything real remains to be seen, but the connection is strong enough to keep the discussion alive while the Hornets sort through ways to bolster the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Just Made Brandon Miller Their Next Franchise Centerpiece
Brandon Millers rise in Charlotte took another major step this week, with the Hornets locking him in on a long-term deal that signals just how quickly the organization has shifted its future toward him. After a career-best season, Miller has already shown enough as a scoring option to make the front office comfortable building around his development, even as he works back from shoulder surgery.
The timing matters, too, because Charlotte is no longer treating him as just one part of the core. With LaMelo Ball traded, Miller now sits at the center of the franchises direction, and the extension reinforces the idea that the Hornets view him as the player most likely to carry them into their next era. What comes next is less about promise and more about how soon he can fully assume that role. [Read more 🡒]