The Charlotte Hornets are staring at a roster without a max contract after moving LaMelo Ball, whose extension now sits on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ books. That leaves Charlotte in a familiar spot for a team trying to climb back into real contention: a lot of money can be tied up in useful players, but that alone doesn’t get you where you want to go.
The bigger question is who, if anyone, becomes the next Hornets player worthy of that kind of deal.
Brandon Miller looks like the obvious answer on paper. He’s the new face of the franchise, and he’s approaching free agency. The rookie max extension Ball signed years ago would seem to be the natural path for Miller, and the Hornets clearly believe in him.
But the fact that it hasn’t happened yet says something. If Charlotte were fully sold on Miller as a roughly $250 million player, the extension probably would already be done. Instead, the team appears willing to let things play out in 2026-27 and see whether he can really handle being the top option and the centerpiece of the offense.
If he proves it, the max is there. If he doesn’t, Charlotte can still keep him, just at a lower number.
Right now, there are reasons to think the Hornets may be cautious. Miller has struggled against top-tier defenses.
He has had issues finishing at the rim. He also doesn’t do a ton of creation.
Those are the kinds of gaps that can keep a player from reaching max-contract territory.
Could he fix them? Sure.
Probably. Hopefully.
If he does, then the money would be justified.
Still, the safer bet for the next actual max contract may be Kon Knueppel. There are questions about how he’ll hold up without Ball, too, but he seems to have fewer holes in his game than Miller.
Knueppel creates more than Miller does, and his shooting is the obvious separator. In today’s NBA, that matters a lot.
He’s further away from extension eligibility, but at this moment, the Hornets probably view him as the more max-worthy player. And they may be right.
Beyond those two, the list gets thin fast. Hannes Steinbach, Tidjane Salaün, and Christian Anderson Jr. are all interesting pieces and could become good players, but none of them looks like a likely max-extension candidate over the next couple of seasons.
So for now, it comes down to Miller or Knueppel. And at the moment, Knueppel might have the edge.
In Other News...
Hornets Linked To Veteran Guard Who Could Shape This New Era
The Hornets offseason has already started to take shape around adding more structure to the backcourt, and a veteran name has surfaced as a possible fit. Dennis Schroder, who has bounced around the league and brings plenty of point guard experience, could give Charlotte a steadier hand behind its young guards if the front office decides to get aggressive on the trade market.
Clevelands situation is part of what makes the idea worth watching, since the Cavaliers may need to clear room for other moves. For Charlotte, the appeal is straightforward: Jeff Peterson has shown interest, and Schroder would bring a level of experience the roster could use as it tries to define this new era without overcommitting to a long-term gamble. [Read more 🡒]
Miles Bridges Trade Has Hornets Fans Asking One Brutal Question
The Suns officially introduced Miles Bridges after landing him from Charlotte, and the move immediately put a familiar Hornets name back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons in Charlotte. Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory framed the forward as a fit for what the Suns need, a bigger presence who can help them play to their style, and Bridges is expected to step right into the starting lineup at power forward.
For Hornets fans, the more painful part is what comes next, because the trade is now about more than just what Charlotte gave up. Bridges is entering the final year of his contract, Phoenix is expected to pursue an extension, and the question hanging over the deal is whether the Hornets moved on at the right time or let another team solve a roster need they still have to address. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets May Have Found A Smart Fix For Their Backup Guard Problem
Charlottes search for a steadier backup guard has been one of the more obvious roster questions of the offseason, and the answer may end up coming from an unexpected place if Clevelands plans change. Dennis Schrder has the kind of ballhandling and late-clock competence that can settle a second unit, and his contract structure gives any interested team a clearer path to evaluating him as more than a short-term patch.
If the Cavaliers decide they need to reshape the roster after a major free-agency move, Charlotte could be positioned to take advantage of the opportunity without blowing up its own books. The Hornets have room to work through a traded-player exception from the LaMelo Ball deal, and a swap built around a rotation piece on Charlottes side could make the math work while preserving flexibility for later. [Read more 🡒]