The Hornets have decided not to pick up Tidjane Salaun’s fourth-year option for the 2027/28 season, according to Rod Boone.
That option was worth $10,445,632, and the call had been widely expected after Charlotte announced on Sunday that it was exercising the options on Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley without mentioning Salaun. Now the decision is official.
It’s not hard to see why the Hornets could have gone either way. Charlotte has a relatively favorable cap sheet moving forward, and Salaun was the first player drafted by Jeff Peterson after he took over as the team’s head of basketball operations in 2024. Even so, the front office chose to move on from the fourth-year guarantee.
Salaun hasn’t yet locked down a dependable rotation spot at the NBA level. Entering Monday, the 6’10” Frenchman had played in 103 regular season games for the Hornets, averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game while shooting .392/.330/.694.
His role has been limited this season, too. After a DNP-CD in Charlotte’s regular season opener last month, Salaun has appeared in each of the team’s next seven games, but Monday marked only the third time he has played more than 12 minutes.
With the option declined, Salaun is now on track to reach unrestricted free agency in the 2027 offseason. If he finishes the season on his current contract, the Hornets - or whatever team has him if he’s traded before February’s deadline - will retain his Bird rights, but they won’t be able to offer a starting salary above the value of the declined option. A rival team, though, could go higher.
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