Brandon Miller has already landed on one of the more interesting contract-watch lists in the league, and the reason is pretty simple: when he’s been on the floor and rolling, he has looked like the kind of wing teams pay without blinking.
That was Zach Lowe’s read on a recent episode of his podcast, where he put the Hornets forward among the extension situations he’s watching this summer. Miller became eligible on July 1, and the clock is now on for Charlotte and its young cornerstone to work through a rookie extension before the window closes ahead of the Hornets’ 2026-27 season in October.
“I think Brandon Miller will be an interesting negotiation because when healthy, he has the kind of rising track record and positional flexibility that you would typically go in and be like, 'Franz Wagner got the max. I'll get the max, too,'" Lowe said.
The Hornets aren’t hiding their stance. Speaking Saturday, president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson said the team has already been in touch with Miller and his camp.
“I've had conversations with Brandon and his representation,” Peterson said. “They know that we want Brandon here for a very, very long time.
I won't get into particulars. Bottom line is we want Brandon Miller here for a very, very long time.”
If the sides don’t land a deal now, Miller would head toward restricted free agency in the summer of 2027, with Charlotte holding matching rights and a qualifying offer around $21.2 million.
Lowe also pointed to the way Miller’s return lined up with Charlotte’s best stretch last season. The Hornets started 4-14 through late November, then ripped off nine straight wins between January and February, the longest winning streak in the current version of the franchise.
They later beat Indiana on April 3 to clinch their first winning season since 2021-22, then locked up a play-in spot on April 10. Charlotte finished 44-38 and ninth in the East, beat Miami 127-126 in overtime in the 9-10 game at Spectrum Center, and then fell 121-90 at Orlando in the 8-9 game.
“The Hornets are run pretty well and understand the leverage they'll have in restricted free agency, but Brandon Miller's last 30-40 games... not a coincidence that the Hornets' surge really started when he became healthy, available, and productive consistently,” Lowe said. “He was not far from being THAT player we only saw for 30 or 40 games, so take it with whatever grain of salt you want... he was not far from, 'Should he be in the All-NBA Third Team just fringe conversation at least?' So he's on my list.”
Miller’s production backs up why this is such a live negotiation. He played 65 games last season and averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 30.3 minutes per game. He shot 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3, and 89.2% at the line, with that 3-point mark standing as a career high.
Health has been the big variable. A wrist injury ended his second season after 27 games, and five quarters into his third season, he exited with a left shoulder subluxation that cost him nearly a month. In May, the Hornets said he had surgery for left shoulder instability, setting up a second offseason of rehab.
Charlotte’s belief in Miller is showing up in the way the roster has been reshaped around him. The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps, and three future second-round picks.
Miles Bridges was sent to Phoenix for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale. Coby White re-signed, Dorian Finney-Smith arrived from Houston, and coach Charles Lee is expected to start White, Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid, and Moussa Diabaté.
The bigger picture is the one Charlotte has been building toward since Miller arrived. He was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft out of Alabama and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. Through 166 career games, he has averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
For now, the financial marker is clear: Miller is due $15,104,626 in the final season of his rookie contract.
In Other News...
Hornets Just Made Their Boldest Move Yet And Fans Need Answers
Charlottes roster makeover took a sharp turn this week, with the front office choosing to pivot away from the familiar core and lean even harder into a future built around flexibility and draft capital. It is the kind of move that can define a franchise for years, especially for a team that has already been adding young talent through recent draft selections and is clearly trying to widen its window instead of chasing a quick fix.
LaMelo Ball had just put together his best healthy season, which is part of what makes this so jarring for fans trying to make sense of the direction. ESPNs Tim MacMahon called the deal polarizing, but also suggested Charlotte may have struck at the right time, while Ball could benefit from a different role elsewhere. For the Hornets, the question now is whether Naz Reid can become the kind of immediate piece they need while the rest of the return helps reshape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Just Sent A Bigger Message Than Trading LaMelo And Bridges
The Hornets decision to move on from Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball landed as more than a roster shuffle. It was a clear sign that Charlotte is willing to reset its direction around a different kind of core, one shaped less by familiar names and more by the front offices idea of how the team should look and carry itself going forward.
Bridges and Ball each brought obvious talent, but both also came with baggage that made the fit harder to ignore. Bridges has long drawn scrutiny for his conduct, while Balls injuries and contract situation have kept the conversation around him tied to risk as much as upside, leaving the Hornets with a bigger question than who they traded away: what kind of team they are trying to become next. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Suddenly Linked To Another Young Wing Worth Watching
Another young wing has surfaced on the Hornets radar, this time in the form of Denver restricted free agent Peyton Watson. NBA analyst Dan Favale of Bleacher Report pointed to Charlotte as a possible destination, a fit that makes some sense for a team that has spent the offseason reshaping its roster and is expected to lean on a new-look starting group next season.
Watson would come with the kind of team-control wrinkle that makes these situations worth monitoring, since Charlotte could try to pry him loose with an offer sheet and force Denver into a quick decision. The appeal is obvious for the Hornets, who have already added pieces around Coby White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabat, but the real question is whether they see enough upside in another athletic wing to keep pushing in that direction. [Read more 🡒]