The Charlotte Hornets may have come out of the Dalton Knecht saga far better than anyone realized at the time.
At the 2025 trade deadline, Charlotte had a deal lined up to send Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Knecht and future draft capital. Then the trade fell apart after a failed physical, although there has been disagreement over exactly why Williams did not pass and why the Lakers ultimately pulled out. For a stretch, the story looked like the Hornets getting burned by the NBA and a larger-market team.
That ended up not being the final chapter. Charlotte still moved Williams later, shipping him to the Phoenix Suns on draft night in 2025, and the return turned into a useful outcome for the franchise. The Hornets came away with Liam McNeeley at No. 29, and at the time it felt like a respectable recovery from a messy situation.
Now the comparison looks even better for Charlotte. The Lakers waived Knecht, a move that stands out for a team that does not have many assets to spare. Letting go of a young player without turning him into anything else says plenty.
McNeeley, meanwhile, gives the Hornets a player with a similar profile to Knecht, and the early read is that he may be both better and younger. Charlotte landed the player it wanted, and he is still trending upward. I recently covered how he can crack the rotation this year, and that path looks a lot more promising than Knecht’s current situation.
Maybe McNeeley was not the perfect answer at that spot. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James - whom the Hornets did take shortly after in the second round - or Maxime Raynaud might have been better bets. But the end of the first round and most of the second round in 2025 were thin on real hits anyway.
McNeeley’s underlying numbers are strong, and Knecht is a free agent. That alone makes the Hornets feel lucky the deal collapsed, whether it was the Lakers backing out or Williams simply not being healthy.
And there is one more twist Charlotte could pursue if it wanted to stir the pot. It would take some roster juggling, but if the Hornets wanted to see what Knecht would look like in a Charlotte uniform, they could still do it now. It would cost them nothing and would make the Lakers look even more awkward for how this all played out.
That is probably not going to happen. What looks far more likely is that Charlotte never looks back and regrets the trade never becoming official.
In Other News...
Hornets Are Positioning For The Move Fans Have Been Waiting On
Jeff Petersons latest update offered a pretty clear read on where the Hornets see themselves right now: still building, but with the kind of optionality that can change quickly. Charlotte has spent the summer stacking financial flexibility and draft capital while reshaping the roster through a flurry of moves, including trades involving LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and Miles Bridges, plus the additions of Naz Reid, Dennis Schrder and a new deal for Coby White. The bigger picture is that the front office is not just collecting pieces for the sake of it, but creating room to chase a specific type of upgrade when the time is right.
For Hornets fans, that is the part worth watching as the team works toward the 2026-27 opener. The organization has leaned into future assets, with several incoming picks and swaps now part of its path forward, and Petersons comments made it clear those tools are meant to be used, not just stored away. The question is less whether Charlotte has the means to make a meaningful addition than when it will decide the market presents the right opening to do it. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets New Core Is Earning Attention Ahead Of A Pivotal Season
The Hornets spent the offseason turning over the top of their roster, moving on from LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Tre Mann while bringing in Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and Dennis Schroder. It is the kind of reshaping that usually comes with a waiting period, but Charlotte appears ready to skip ahead, with Coby White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabate projected to make up the starting group when the season opens.
What makes the new-look lineup interesting is how quickly the conversation around the franchise has shifted toward Miller and Knueppel as the next faces of the team. Thats already drawing notice outside the organization, too, with Blake Griffin telling Bill Simmons that he likes what the Hornets are building. For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for direction, the attention is a sign that this version of Charlotte may have at least changed the way people view its future. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Opener Already Comes With A Rotation Concern Fans Will Notice
The first injury report of the season already gives the Hornets something to monitor as they head toward Wednesdays opener against Brooklyn. Charlotte and Orlando both released availability updates ahead of their season openers, and the Hornets side comes with the usual early-season caution, the kind that can force a coach to shuffle plans before the first game even tips.
Kon Knueppel, Grant Williams and Coby White have all gotten back to individual on-court work, which is encouraging in a broader sense, but none of them will be available for this one. Their absences leave Charlotte with an immediate rotation question to solve, and the team will have to manage those injuries carefully while trying to set a tone right away in the new season. [Read more 🡒]