The Charlotte Hornets don’t need to force a leap right now, but the next year gives them a clear path to get there by opening night 2027. That’s the basic idea behind this roster plan: keep building, avoid wasted value, and line up the right pieces so the team can turn into a contender in the East without rushing the process.
A big early move would be locking in Brandon Miller. There’s some risk in doing it before he reaches his highest possible price, but there’s also a real chance the Hornets save money by moving sooner.
He may not be quite at max-extension level yet, but Charlotte could still work out a five-year deal worth roughly $200 million instead of letting the number climb to the maximum $251 million. That would protect the team from overpaying and keep Miller from reaching restricted free agency.
Grant Williams is another player who could become a deadline chip. He’s a useful backup, but he’s on an expiring contract, the Hornets don’t have much cap space, and this doesn’t look like a team ready to make a real push this season.
In that setup, Charlotte could drift toward a solid record and then flip Williams for a couple of future second-round picks rather than losing him for nothing. Those picks may not carry major value, but they still matter in future trade talks.
After the season, Dorian Finney-Smith should be moved on from as well. If he rebuilds his value and is still on the roster, the Hornets can trade him. If not, they can waive him, since his deal is not guaranteed beyond this season anyway.
Moussa Diabaté is a different case. Even if the Hornets worry about him being an undersized starting center - especially after drafting Hannes Steinbach - he’s too important to let leave for nothing.
His contract runs out after this year, and Charlotte is going to have to pay to keep him, though probably not at an outrageous number. Still, the case for bringing him back is strong.
He’s described as one of the best on/off players in the NBA, and the Hornets need that kind of winning basketball.
Charlotte also has flexibility in the 2027 NBA draft, where it could end up with three first-round picks. It doesn’t need all of them, and that opens the door to a bigger swing.
Packaging two of those picks with matching salary could bring back Trey Murphy. The Pelicans aren’t contending now, and Murphy is only going to get pricier over the next few years.
For a Hornets team looking for a true three-and-D wing, he fits the bill.
With the remaining first-rounder, Charlotte could stay connected to the Duke pipeline and take Cameron Williams. The Dallas Mavericks pick is expected to land outside the top two, though not likely outside the top 10, which gives the Hornets a chance to add another strong prospect to the mix.
That would leave Charlotte with a core built around Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Trey Murphy, Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabaté and Christian Anderson Jr. If everything breaks the right way, that’s a group with a much clearer ceiling than the one the Hornets started with.
In Other News...
Hornets Face A Frustrating Reality About This Roster
Charlotte spent last season on the playoff fringe before finishing 44-38 and again watching the postseason from home, and the offseason has brought a mix of continuity and change. The Hornets re-signed Coby White, added Dorian Finney-Smith, and used the draft to bring in Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson, while an expected starting group would feature White alongside Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabate.
Still, the broader read on the roster is less encouraging than the individual moves might suggest. With Jeff Peterson publicly expressing confidence in Miller and Knueppel after the trade of LaMelo Ball, the question now is whether Charlotte has enough high-end talent in place to do more than hover around the middle of the pack, or whether it will need to lean on future picks and swaps to chase another star before the ceiling starts to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face A Brutal Question Without LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Balls absence leaves Charlotte with the kind of roster question every rebuilding team eventually has to answer: who gets the ball, who creates, and who can actually handle the extra weight over the course of a season? The conversation naturally starts with Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, both of whom are expected to see bigger opportunities, while Coby White also factors into the picture as someone who could be asked to absorb more responsibility in the backcourt.
What makes the issue tricky is that each of those players is still working through something different, whether it is sharpening a skill set, expanding a role, or simply proving the workload is sustainable. Even the rookies, Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr., are part of the broader evaluation, though their promise comes with obvious limitations right now, which leaves Charlotte staring at a season defined less by certainty than by how quickly a new hierarchy can take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Are Sending A Clear Message About Their Next Step
After finishing 44-39 and putting together one of their better seasons in years, Charlotte is entering the next phase with a different kind of urgency. The front office has already sent a clear signal through recent trades that the Hornets are not trying to simply chase last years progress, but to shape the roster around younger pieces such as Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
That approach may come with a step back in the standings, and NBA insider Tim McMahon expects exactly that in the coming season. For a fan base that had reason to believe the club was inching closer to respectability, the direction now looks more patient than aggressive, with the focus shifting toward a longer rebuild rather than an immediate push in the Eastern Conference. [Read more 🡒]