The Charlotte Hornets are coming out of the 2026 offseason looking like one of the NBA’s biggest winners, at least in the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes.
Hughes put Charlotte in a small group of teams that “quietly crushed the 2026 offseason,” and it’s not hard to see why. The Hornets turned over major pieces, added new talent in the draft, and left themselves with a lineup that looks far more balanced on paper.
Charlotte dealt 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 draft, the Hornets used the 14th overall pick on Washington’s Hannes Steinbach and took Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr. with the 18th pick.
“If you're a Ball apologist, this offseason leaves you hurting," Hughes wrote. "If you think the Hornets have earned the benefit of the doubt and that Ball's value was never going to get higher, Charlotte crushed it. I'm in the second camp."
The projected starting group next season features White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabaté. On paper, that’s a solid five, and it gives Charlotte a very different look heading into next season.
The Hornets missed the playoffs by one game last season, and they haven’t been back to the postseason since 2016. Still, the combination of White, Miller, Knueppel, Reid and Diabaté gives the franchise a more promising direction than it has had in years.
Knueppel and Miller are now the faces of the team with Ball gone. Knueppel didn’t win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award, but he still put together a big season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists 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 was just as important. He played in 65 games last season and averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from deep and 89.2% from the line.
Ball’s Charlotte run never produced a playoff berth. Over 303 games with the Hornets, he averaged 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game and earned one All-Star selection in 2022.
In Other News...
Hornets Face A Tough Hannes Steinbach Decision Early
Hannes Steinbachs early run in Summer League gave Charlotte plenty to like, especially on the glass and around the basket. The recent lottery pick showed enough rebounding punch and offensive feel to confirm why the Hornets were willing to invest heavily in him, but it also quickly sharpened the bigger question that comes with any young big man: where does he fit best once the games start counting?
For now, the safest answer appears to be power forward, not center, because the defensive side of the floor is still a work in progress. Charlotte also has a crowded frontcourt picture to sort through, with Grant Williams, Naz Reid and Dorian Finney-Smith all part of the rotation conversation, which means Steinbachs path will depend as much on fit as on talent. [Read more 🡒]