The Charlotte Hornets’ place in Bleacher Report’s latest NBA power ranking comes with a clear message: the roster has changed a lot, but the belief in Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel has not.
Bleacher Report pointed to the Hornets’ busy offseason, one that included moving on from two of their top four scorers, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, without bringing in immediate star-level replacements. Even so, the outlet still saw reasons for optimism, noting the draft capital Charlotte picked up and the veteran help the team added around its young core.
“After closing the 2025-26 campaign as perhaps the NBA's hottest team, the Charlotte Hornets unloaded two of their top four scorers in LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges and didn't replace them with any real star power in the short term,” Bleacher Report wrote. “But they did add draft capital in those moves and re-signed Coby White.
And Grayson Allen, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Naz Reid all have plenty of experience supporting star wings. That's exactly what Charlotte is betting Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel will become.
And last season gave the Hornets plenty of evidence for it.”
Charlotte’s offseason reshaped the roster in a major way. The Hornets traded Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves for Reid, sent Bridges to the Phoenix Suns for Allen and O’Neale, and moved Tre Mann to the Cavaliers for Dennis Schroder. They also re-signed White, brought in Finney-Smith from the Houston Rockets and added Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The expected starting five for next season is White, Miller, Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabate, with Schroder, Allen, O’Neale, Grant Williams, Steinbach and Ryan Kalkbrenner lined up as the main bench options.
Charlotte will open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets before hosting the Atlanta Hawks in its home opener.
Not every fan has been sold on the decision to deal Ball, but Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson defended the move in comments to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Peterson said the organization was comfortable making the trade because of the development path it sees for Miller and Knueppel.
“I’m very comfortable,” Peterson said. “Charles and I had a conversation with both of them knowing that these trades can be challenging.
Sometimes I do think we forget that we’re human beings dealing with this stuff - lives and its emotions. Those guys are friends and they are in the locker room every day.
At the same time, Charles and I kind of explained, We believe in you guys, too. You guys are here.
We want to continue to see you guys grow. This is going to challenge you guys.
You guys got to continue to get better.' We wouldn’t have made that trade if we didn’t feel comfortable with what they can continue to be developing into.”
With Ball out of the picture, Miller and Knueppel are positioned for bigger offensive roles, and Charlotte is betting that growth will help define the next step for the franchise.
In Other News...
Charles Lee Is Setting A New Tone For These Hornets
Charles Lees first summer in Charlotte has already shown he intends to do more than manage rotations and lineups. The Hornets coach took part in the Brandon Miller Celebrity Pickleball Classic, using the event as another chance to reinforce how he wants the team to carry itself away from the court. With a roster that looks significantly different after a busy offseason, the message around the organization has been as much about habits and presence as it has been about basketball.
The changes have been hard to miss, with Charlotte reshaping the group it will bring into the new season and adding fresh faces after a summer of movement. The preseason and regular season schedules are now out, which means the calendar is set for the first real look at how this new version of the Hornets will come together. Lees early emphasis on community and connection suggests he wants that process to start long before opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Will Love NBA 2K27's Nod To Moussa Diabat
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Diabats rise has been one of the quieter success stories on the roster, from his 73-game season to the 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle Award that put a spotlight on his energy and activity. He is also under contract through a three-year deal signed in February 2025, so the Hornets have reason to believe this is more than a one-year feel-good moment, even if the games recognition is only part of the larger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Moussa Diabates Rise Says A Lot About Charlottes Young Core
Moussa Diabates path to Charlotte has been shaped by patience, persistence and a steady climb from the edge of the NBA rotation to a much bigger role. After starting out with limited minutes with the Clippers, he worked his way into being a reliable frontcourt piece, and now he has carved out a spot as the Hornets starting center, bringing energy on the glass and a scoring touch that does not waste possessions.
For a young Charlotte core still trying to define itself, Diabates rise is a useful reminder of how much value there is in players who keep building while waiting for their chance. Veteran Taj Gibson played a part in that growth by pushing him through the lean stretches, and Diabates emergence gives the Hornets another encouraging example of development paying off, even if the bigger question around how far this group can go is still in front of them. [Read more 🡒]