The Hornets chose a hard reset after one of their best seasons in a decade, and it started with a move that changed the direction of the franchise. Instead of staying with the group that had Charlotte finishing above .500 for only the second time in 10 seasons, executive vice president of player personnel Jeff Peterson decided the roster as built still wasn’t enough to turn the team into a real Eastern Conference contender.
That judgment led to the biggest swing of the offseason: LaMelo Ball was dealt to the Timberwolves. Ball had finally put together a full season, appearing in 72 regular-season games after logging just 105 combined over the previous three years. With three years remaining on his contract, Peterson decided to sell high and move the point guard to a Minnesota team that badly needed one.
Charlotte also sent out Miles Bridges, the team’s fourth-leading scorer, to the Suns. The return in those deals included draft capital, but the bigger message was clear - the Hornets are handing the keys to a new core.
That new era centers on Kon Knueppel, who Charlotte selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft despite surprising some draft experts. He answered immediately. Knueppel was in the mix from the start, putting up 18.5 points per game and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting behind former college teammate Cooper Flagg.
The Hornets have also leaned into Brandon Miller and Coby White. White, who didn’t really have a future with Chicago after the Bulls signed Josh Giddey to an extension last offseason, looked good enough after arriving at the trade deadline that Charlotte rewarded him with a three-year, $74MM contract.
Around that young group, the Hornets added some veteran help. Grayson Allen, acquired from the Suns, and Dennis Schroder, acquired from the Cavaliers, are set to handle the main reserve minutes in the backcourt.
There’s more support on the front line as well. Charlotte has Naz Reid and Royce O’Neale in the mix, and Reid has been one of the league’s premier reserves over the last four seasons.
The team also used the No. 14 pick on Hannes Steinbach, who will battle holdovers Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner for minutes at the 5 spot.
So the offseason left Charlotte with a very different look - younger at the top, deeper in spots, and built around Knueppel and Miller instead of Ball. The question now is whether that gamble keeps the Hornets in the win column for a second straight season and back in the postseason, or whether the roster takes a step back.
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Hornets Enter A New Era With One Huge Scoring Question
Charlottes summer reshaped the roster in a way that goes far beyond simple turnover. Moving on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges stripped away a huge chunk of the offense, and it leaves the Hornets heading into the new season with a very different kind of scoring burden. The question now is less about who the team lost and more about who is ready to step into the void and help define what this next version of the club looks like.
Brandon Miller is the obvious place to start, given the way he has flashed as a primary option, but he is not alone in the conversation. Kon Knueppel and Coby White also sit in the mix as possible pace-setters for points per game, which makes this one of the more interesting internal battles on Charlottes docket. For a team trying to build a new identity, the answer matters almost as much as the rebuild itself. [Read more 🡒]