The Charlotte Hornets are expected to lock up Brandon Miller with a major payday, with a prediction calling for a five-year, $191 million extension.
That deal would keep the small forward from reaching restricted free agency next summer, if Charlotte gets the rookie-scale extension done before the deadline. In the prediction from Pincus, the agreement would begin near $33 million and run for $191 million over five years.
Miller’s offseason has been shaped by recovery after surgery in May to address left shoulder instability. He has been rehabbing throughout the summer and says the shoulder is improving little by little.
“It was good, it was a short surgery - I don’t remember much,” Miller said. “It goes a long way.
I think with this process you always want your body 100%. When you go through a season not feeling 100% sometimes you’ve got to have a mindset getting through knick-knack injuries or whatever you want to call it.
It’s just having a mindset.
“It’s going good, going good. I’m getting stronger.
That’s all I can ask for. The stronger I get, the more mobile I am with the shoulder and that is the most important thing.”
He still hasn’t been cleared for basketball work, and there’s no timetable yet for when that will change. With Hornets training camp set to begin in just over a month, Miller is still in the waiting game.
“I don't know right now," Miller said. "I’m always eager, man,” Miller said.
“I’m eager even when I’m not hurt. Just being out there is always a blessing whether I’m hurt or rehabbing or if I’m not hurt.
One thing about me is availability. That’s all I can ask, is just availability.
You want a full team available. You never know what can happen.
Players can get in foul trouble, whatever the case may be. It’s kind of on us as players to be available whenever your number is called.”
Even with the injury interruption, Miller gave Charlotte plenty last season. In 65 games during his third year in the NBA, he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from three and 89.2% at the line.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, the Hornets will open on the road against the Brooklyn Nets before returning home to face the Atlanta Hawks in their home opener.
Miller says the team’s identity will be built on effort first.
“Do I know if we are going to be good or great?” Miller said.
“I know we are going to be a hard-working team. It’s not about who makes the most shots.
It’s about who can play consistently at 110% every night. I think that’s one thing we are going to take pride in.”
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Has One Big Obstacle In A Rare Hornets Award Push
Brandon Miller is suddenly in a spot the Hornets have not often found themselves in, with the young wing drawing early buzz as a Most Improved Player candidate for the 2026-27 season. After LaMelo Balls departure opened up a bigger offensive runway, Miller is expected to shoulder far more creation and scoring responsibility, and that kind of jump is exactly the sort of thing that can reshape an award race if the production follows.
The catch for Charlotte is visibility. A breakout season can only carry so much weight if voters are not seeing it enough, and with the Hornets no longer carrying the same national spotlight, Miller may have to make his case without the benefit of regular marquee exposure. That leaves his push in an unusual place: promising on paper, but still fighting for the kind of attention that often turns a strong season into an award winner. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets May Need One Player To Keep Their Defense From Slipping
Charlottes defensive rise last season was not just about Charles Lees system. It also had a lot to do with the way Moussa Diabat stabilized the middle after moving into the starting lineup, giving the Hornets a big man who could rebound, stay out of foul trouble and hold up as a rim protector while fitting the scheme in different ways. His presence helped the team look sturdier possession to possession, which mattered for a club that needed real defensive wins to keep games from getting away.
Now the question is whether that same backbone is there again. The Hornets are expected to lean on Diabat this season because the other center options come with clear defensive limitations, and he is the one big on the roster who can handle multiple coverages without forcing the rest of the group to adjust around him. If he misses a step, Charlottes defense could start to look a lot less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Latest Roster Move Is Really About Something Bigger
The Hornets made another quiet roster adjustment, signing free agent forward Trey Townsend and waiving forward Josiah Allick as the organization continues sorting out the back end of its lineup. For Charlotte, moves like this are as much about the G League pipeline as the NBA roster, and Townsend fits that familiar pattern for a team trying to keep development options open while preserving flexibility.
Townsends deal is non-guaranteed, and the expectation is that he will be cut loose before the season and head to Greensboro. The Swarm already hold his returning rights after an August six-team trade, which makes this less a true shuffle of roster spots than another step in the Hornets broader system-building approach, one that keeps promising pieces close even when they are not quite ready for the main stage. [Read more 🡒]