Charles Lee didn’t hold back when talking about Naz Reid.
Ahead of the Charlotte Hornets’ preseason opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Hornets coach praised the newest addition to his frontcourt, calling Reid “a joy to work with and to have on our team.”
Charlotte landed Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the LaMelo Ball trade, and Lee made it clear the fit has been smooth from the start.
“The versatility of Naz has been displayed in so many different ways, defensively and offensively. The human being, he's phenomenal. I had a couple dinners with him and he'll get talking to you and telling stories and you can just tell he loves the game.
"He loves his teammates. He's really excited to get here. With any transition, it takes some time to get yourself acclimated, but he's fit in perfectly and our group has done a great job of bringing him along."
Reid’s first run in a Charlotte uniform came in a lopsided 124-90 loss to Brooklyn. He logged 13 minutes and finished with 13 points and four rebounds, going 3-of-9 from the field, 1-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 at the line.
The 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year brings real production with him. Reid enters the season with career regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists, along with playoff marks of 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Last season in Minnesota, he bumped those numbers up to 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the floor, 36.2% from deep and 73.2% on free throws. He also posted six double-doubles.
Reid will make $23,275,862 this season, and multiple teams reportedly tried to pry him away from Charlotte, but the Hornets are keeping him.
Even with Reid in the mix, Charlotte’s next step still runs through its young core. With Ball and Miles Bridges gone, the franchise is leaning on Miller and Knueppel as its new centerpieces.
Miller played 65 games last season in his third year, putting up 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3 and 89.2% from the foul line. He enters this season with career averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists and was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft.
Knueppel had a standout season of his own, even without taking home the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award. The swingman averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while hitting 47.5% of his shots, 42.5% from beyond the arc and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He also led the NBA in 3-pointers.
Charlotte opens the 2026-27 season on the road against Brooklyn before returning home to face the Atlanta Hawks in its home opener. It’s Year 1 of the post-Ball-Bridges era, and the question now is whether this group can finally end the playoff drought.
In Other News...
Hornets Already Have A Point Guard Problem After Moving LaMelo
Moving on from LaMelo Ball was always going to reshape the Hornets backcourt, and the early returns have only made the point guard picture look more unsettled. Charlotte tried to patch things up by re-signing Coby White, drafting Christian Anderson Jr. and bringing in Dennis Schrder, a group that was supposed to keep the position steady while the franchise moved into its next phase.
Instead, the preseason has already brought more questions than answers. Anderson struggled in Summer League and is dealing with an injury, while White is sidelined with a calf issue and will miss preseason games, leaving Charlotte thin at the spot before the games even count. Ball, meanwhile, opened his Minnesota preseason looking comfortable in his new uniform, which only sharpens the contrast for Hornets fans still waiting to see whether the team's next answer at point guard is actually in place. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Injury Creates An Early Hornets Concern
Brandon Millers preseason has already hit a small snag for the Hornets, with the second-year wing dealing with a shin contusion he picked up in practice. Charlotte has been taking the cautious route, keeping him day-to-day as the team works through the opening weeks of exhibition play and prepares for its next preseason test against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Millers absence from the recent game against the Brooklyn Nets added a little more early-season concern, especially for a player whose development remains central to Charlottes plans. There is already outside buzz about a possible long-term extension down the road, but for now the Hornets are focused on getting Miller back on the floor and making sure a preseason bump does not linger. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Preseason Opener Revealed An Early Question About Charlotte's New Look
The Hornets preseason opener in Brooklyn offered an early look at how this new group wants to play, and it also showed how much still has to be sorted out. Even in a loss to the Nets, there were encouraging signs in the way Charlotte spaced the floor and tried to let multiple players handle the ball, with Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale providing shot-making and playmaking, while Sion James looked comfortable enough running the offense in stretches.
The bigger takeaway may have been the mix of promise and rough edges from the younger pieces. Rookie Hannes Steinbach saw only limited minutes, and Liam McNeeley flashed the kind of shooting that can translate quickly, but the possession-by-possession details were less tidy than Charlotte would like this early in camp. For a team still figuring out its rotations and identity, the opener made clear that the talent is there, but the fit will take some time. [Read more 🡒]