The Hornets’ offseason roster churn kept rolling for a fifth straight day, and this time the move brought in a new name while pushing out another. Charlotte signed guard/forward Kobe Stewart to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal and waived guard Jarkel Joiner.
Stewart becomes the latest addition to a 21-man offseason group that also includes Josiah Allick, Trey Townsend, Kyle Mangas, and Joiner. The setup points toward all of them landing with the Greensboro Swarm this fall as returning rights players. By bringing them in on Exhibit 10 contracts before the season starts, Charlotte can line up bonuses worth up to $91K on top of their NBAGL base salaries if they remain with the Swarm for at least 60 days.
For Stewart, the path to Charlotte has already included a full G League season. The 6-foot-6 swingman went undrafted out of Presbyterian College in 2025 and then spent his first year as a pro with the Austin Spurs, Memphis Hustle, and Wisconsin Herd. Across 46 games, he averaged 7.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 20.0 minutes per game while shooting .455/.308/.767.
He also got a look in July with Milwaukee at the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, appearing in six games and putting up 4.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 12.8 MPG.
One wrinkle remains before Stewart can settle in with Charlotte’s affiliate: the Swarm would need to acquire his rights from the Herd in a trade first if he’s going to join the Hornets’ G League team and collect that Exhibit 10 bonus.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Just Took On The Pressure Of Charlottes New Era
Brandon Millers name is starting to sit closer to the center of the Hornets future, and the timing makes sense. With LaMelo Ball traded away, Charlotte is asking Miller to help carry a larger load as the franchise tries to push back toward the playoffs, and his inclusion on an NBA top-100 countdown list only adds to the sense that the next phase of the rebuild is arriving fast.
Miller sounded prepared for it, saying he is ready to lead and understands that the standard has to be steady effort and hard work every night. For a team trying to redefine itself, that matters as much as any preseason ranking, because the Hornets need their young forward to be more than a promising talent. They need him to help set the tone for whatever comes next, even if the full shape of that version of Charlotte is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Keep Quietly Reshaping One Overlooked Part Of Their Roster
Charlottes back end of the roster is still taking shape, and the latest move fits the pattern. The Hornets have been cycling through training camp additions while sorting out the names most likely to spend the next few weeks in Greensboro, with Exhibit 10 contracts becoming a steady part of the process as the organization looks for depth and developmental fits.
Kobe Stewart is the newest addition to that mix, arriving on an Exhibit 10 deal as Charlotte continues to tinker with its camp group. The move came with a corresponding waiver of Jarkel Joiner, another reminder that these are the kinds of transactions that often fly under the radar even as they help define which players get a real opportunity to stick around. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Enter A True Reset With One Big Question Ahead
Grant Williams said the Hornets offseason has still had the feel of a real team, with more than 12 players getting together in the gym throughout the summer as Charlotte works through a major reset. After the franchise moved on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the roster looks markedly different, and head coach Charles Lee is expected to begin laying down a new lineup with a group that has spent plenty of time together even as the pieces around them have changed.
Jeff Peterson has already signaled confidence in the young forward core, pointing to Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel as important parts of what comes next. For Charlotte, the trades were only the first step in a broader transition, and the bigger question now is how quickly that revamped group can turn offseason commitment into something that looks organized once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]