The Hornets’ outlook still has some shine to it, even after the latest splash in Philadelphia. LeBron James is headed to the 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal, and that gives Philly a core that now includes LeBron, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe.
For Charlotte, though, the bigger story is the shape of its own roster after a busy reshuffle. The Hornets sent LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, then moved Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.
In the 2026 draft, they added Hannes Steinbach from Washington with the 14th overall pick and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson Jr. at No. 18.
Charlotte also brought back Coby White and added Dorian-Finney Smith from the Houston Rockets. The expected starting five next season is White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabaté, and on paper that group has real weight to it.
The Hornets missed the playoffs by one game last season, and they still haven’t been back since 2016. Even so, the roster now has a different feel, with White, Miller, Knueppel, Reid and Diabaté forming the new backbone of the team. With Ball gone, Knueppel and Miller are the franchise faces in Charlotte.
Knueppel’s rookie season was special even without the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from 3 and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He also led the NBA in 3s.
Miller kept building his case as a cornerstone, too. He played in 65 games last season and put up 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 89.2% from the free-throw line.
Ball’s time in Charlotte never produced a playoff appearance. He played 303 games for the Hornets, averaged 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, and made one All-Star team in 2022.