The Charlotte Hornets have added another familiar NBA development hand to their staff, hiring Jordan Sears as an assistant coach and director of player development.
Sears arrives from the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent last season on Jason Kidd’s coaching staff. Dallas announced its staff in September 2025 with Sears listed as an assistant coach alongside Frank Vogel, Jay Triano, Popeye Jones, Mike Penberthy, and Dru Anthrop. Kidd and the Mavericks parted ways on May 19, and Dusty May was hired as head coach on June 22 before bringing in Willie Green, Joe Boylan, and Garrett Temple.
For Sears, the move adds another stop to a career that has moved steadily through the developmental ranks. He previously spent two seasons with the Texas Legends, and Dallas named him the Legends’ seventh head coach on July 25, 2023, the same day Terry Sullivan was installed as general manager. Before that, Sears worked as the Mavericks’ head video coordinator for two seasons after getting his start in Dallas in 2021.
His path to the Hornets also includes a long run of player development and video work across the league. Sears, who is from Plainfield, New Jersey, played Division III basketball at Wesleyan University and won the 2018 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year award.
He then served as a graduate assistant at St. John’s in 2018-19, joined the Milwaukee Bucks as a video intern in 2019, and later moved up to assistant video coordinator on the Bucks’ 2021 championship team.
Charlotte is filling the role Zach Peterson held since 2024. Peterson joined Charles Lee’s first Hornets staff after attending Michigan State University, then spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers under Darvin Ham from 2022 to 2024. Before that, he worked three seasons in Oklahoma City as a player development coach under Billy Donovan and Mark Daigneault, along with a season as head video coordinator in Milwaukee and four years as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hornets’ staff picture has shifted in other places too. The Greensboro Swarm opening came in June after D.J.
Bakker left following two seasons as head coach of Charlotte’s G League affiliate to join Sean Sweeney’s staff with the Orlando Magic. Bakker’s second Swarm team won the 2026 G League championship, and Peterson has been mentioned as a candidate for that job.
Charlotte’s roster and development group have been in motion all summer. The Hornets finished last season 44-38 and ninth in the Eastern Conference, beat the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament in April, then lost to the Magic two nights later.
That defeat extended their playoff drought to 10 seasons, the longest active streak in the league. On May 7, Lee received a contract extension after the team improved by 25 wins, the biggest year-to-year jump in franchise history.
The roster changes have been just as busy. LaMelo Ball and Josh Green were traded to the Timberwolves for Naz Reid and draft picks in June.
Miles Bridges went to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale. Tre Mann was part of a five-team deal that brought Dennis Schröder to Charlotte from Cleveland.
The Hornets also re-signed Coby White to a three-year, $74 million contract, acquired Dorian Finney-Smith from Houston, and drafted Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr. Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in 2023, averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 65 games last season.
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LaVar Ball Just Reignited The Hornets Debate Over LaMelo
LaMelo Balls departure has already become the kind of move that keeps getting reopened in Charlotte, especially when his father has plenty to say about it. The Hornets sent LaMelo to Minnesota in a four-team deal that brought back multiple draft picks and players, and the reaction only added another layer to a trade that was always going to be judged through the lens of what it means for the franchise long term.
LaVar Ball wasted little time criticizing Charlotte after the move, questioning where the Hornets go from here without his son in the middle of it all. On the other side, president Jeff Peterson made clear he was comfortable with the deal and pointed to the talent already on the roster as part of the reason the team felt it could move on, leaving the debate over the Hornets direction very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
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Hornets Face An Early Lineup Decision With Brandon Miller In Limbo
Brandon Millers recovery from offseason shoulder surgery has left Charlotte with an early lineup puzzle before the season even gets rolling. The Hornets have reason to plan for a stretch without one of their best young wings, and that means looking closely at who can help absorb those minutes without forcing the rest of the rotation into an awkward fit.
Grayson Allen, Liam McNeeley and Royce ONeale all come up as possible options, each bringing a different blend of shooting, size and experience, while Sion James offers a more developmental path if the team wants to keep its long-term picture in mind. Nothing has been set officially, but the uncertainty around Miller puts a real spotlight on how Charlotte wants to open the year and which players can best keep the offense and defense balanced in his absence. [Read more 🡒]