The Charlotte Hornets’ 2026 surge turned plenty of heads, but the bigger question now is whether that run was a real step forward or just a hot stretch that won’t hold up over a full season.
After January 1, Charlotte went 33-16, good for the sixth-best record in the NBA. That kind of finish naturally raises expectations, even if the roster looks different now. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are gone, but Coby White, Hannes Steinbach and Naz Reid are still part of the picture, and that’s enough for many to think the Hornets can hang around the Play-In race again.
The more aggressive read is a lot less optimistic: Charlotte could wind up much closer to the bottom of the standings than the middle. In fact, the Hornets might end up nearer to the top pick in the draft, or the worst record, than they are to a playoff or Play-In spot next season.
That outlook starts with the obvious change at the top. White is a solid player, but he is not the same kind of creator Ball is.
Without that level of playmaking, the rest of the roster is less likely to get the easy looks that powered so much of last season’s success. White also doesn’t bring the same habit of carrying games with explosive scoring nights.
Then there’s the rest of the Eastern Conference, which looks tougher around Charlotte than it did a year ago. Several teams that finished below the Hornets last season are expected to be much better and could jump them in the standings.
The Atlanta Hawks didn’t get worse. The Toronto Raptors got a lot better.
So did the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cleveland Cavaliers are still good.
The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons are. The New York Knicks won it all.
That leaves Charlotte with very little room to climb from ninth. Even if the Hornets remain respectable, the East has turned into a crowded and unforgiving race. If those teams move ahead of them, Charlotte could slide to 12th in the conference.
And if injuries hit, or if the Hornets can’t sort out the right combinations to keep the offense humming, the drop could be even steeper. It took them until late December to find a good starting lineup last season, and that kind of uncertainty can quickly drag a team out of the postseason picture.
So while Charlotte may not view a step back as a disaster, the range of outcomes is wide. A couple of top-10 picks, including the Mavericks’ pick, would at least give this rebuilding project more ammo.
In Other News...
Hornets Face An Awkward Sabonis Question Before Any Deal Happens
With training camp drawing closer, the Hornets are still being mentioned in the Domantas Sabonis chatter that continues to swirl around Sacramento. The idea has enough logic to linger: Charlotte could use another high-level playmaker, and Sabonis would instantly change the way the offense is organized if the two sides ever decided to push a deal across the finish line.
But the fit is not a simple one, and that is where the conversation gets awkward for Charlotte. Any serious trade talk has to wrestle with how Sabonis would be used once he arrived, along with what the Hornets would be giving up to get him, and there is also the question of whether a follow-up extension would even be part of the picture. For now, it is still speculation and scenario work rather than anything close to a completed move. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Are About To Find Out If This New Core Is Enough
Charlottes new look is about to get its first real test, and the early schedule will not offer much time to settle in. The Hornets are expected to open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets before coming home to face the Atlanta Hawks, a quick reminder that the transition to a different core will happen under the leagues usual pressure, not in a soft landing spot.
Jeff Peterson has already signaled confidence in Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel to absorb more responsibility, and the reconfigured roster will now have to show whether that belief was justified. With the point guard spot settled and a fresh hierarchy in place, Charlottes next step is less about theory than proof, and the first few nights should tell the Hornets plenty about how far this group can go. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face A Center Decision That Could Define Their Next Step
Charlotte has already spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster, and the next question hanging over the front office is whether the center spot gets addressed with another swing. The Hornets are still searching for a way to add size and stability in the middle, which has pushed several possible trade ideas into the conversation as the team looks for a move that fits both the timeline and the talent level it wants around its core.
Among the names being floated are Myles Turner of the Milwaukee Bucks, Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks and Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls, each bringing a different type of solution. The appeal is obvious for Charlotte, but the price and the exact path forward remain the real issue, especially with multiple routes on the table and no clear indication yet which one the Hornets would be willing to pursue most aggressively. [Read more 🡒]