Grant Williams says the Charlotte Hornets have spent the summer showing up and putting in work.
Speaking on “The Wes & Walker Show,” Williams said the group has been together consistently throughout the offseason, with more than a dozen players getting in the gym.
“We've had probably over 12 guys in the gym, so the group has been very locked in, myself included," Williams said. "We want to make sure we have a great group of guys committed to the right things, and this group is very motivated to be that way. We all get along very well."
That’s a notable detail for a Hornets team that missed the playoffs by one game last season. Charlotte beat the Miami Heat in the 9-10 NBA play-in game, then fell to the Orlando Magic in the 8-9 play-in game.
This offseason brought major changes instead of a simple run-it-back approach. The front office moved LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and dealt Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns.
Those moves set up a very different-looking rotation for head coach Charles Lee. He is widely expected to open with White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabaté, while Williams is slated to come off the bench alongside Schröder, Allen and O'Neale.
Charlotte hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2016, and the question now is how the franchise handles Year 1 without Ball.
Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson said he was comfortable making the Ball deal because of what he sees in Miller and Knueppel.
“I’m very comfortable," Peterson said. "[Hornets head coach] Charles [Lee] 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."
The Hornets will open at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
In Other News...
Hornets Latest Signing Hints At A Bigger Greensboro Swarm Plan
The latest addition to Charlottes offseason roster fits a pattern the Hornets have leaned into as they build out the back end of camp. Guard-forward Kobe Stewart arrived on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, a type of contract that gives the organization flexibility while also keeping another young player in the pipeline. Stewart spent last season in the G League with multiple teams, so the move looks less like a headline-grabber and more like another step in stocking the system around the Greensboro Swarm.
What makes the signing notable is the direction it points for Charlottes developmental setup. The Hornets have used a string of similar contracts with an eye toward steering players to the Swarm, where they can stay close to the organization and compete for future opportunities. Stewart is expected to land there as well, although the final piece of the arrangement still depends on the right kind of roster shuffle behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Just Took On The Pressure Of Charlottes New Era
Brandon Millers name is starting to sit closer to the center of the Hornets future, and the timing makes sense. With LaMelo Ball traded away, Charlotte is asking Miller to help carry a larger load as the franchise tries to push back toward the playoffs, and his inclusion on an NBA top-100 countdown list only adds to the sense that the next phase of the rebuild is arriving fast.
Miller sounded prepared for it, saying he is ready to lead and understands that the standard has to be steady effort and hard work every night. For a team trying to redefine itself, that matters as much as any preseason ranking, because the Hornets need their young forward to be more than a promising talent. They need him to help set the tone for whatever comes next, even if the full shape of that version of Charlotte is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Keep Quietly Reshaping One Overlooked Part Of Their Roster
Charlottes back end of the roster is still taking shape, and the latest move fits the pattern. The Hornets have been cycling through training camp additions while sorting out the names most likely to spend the next few weeks in Greensboro, with Exhibit 10 contracts becoming a steady part of the process as the organization looks for depth and developmental fits.
Kobe Stewart is the newest addition to that mix, arriving on an Exhibit 10 deal as Charlotte continues to tinker with its camp group. The move came with a corresponding waiver of Jarkel Joiner, another reminder that these are the kinds of transactions that often fly under the radar even as they help define which players get a real opportunity to stick around. [Read more 🡒]