The Charlotte Hornets’ shake-up hit everybody in the building, not just the fans watching from home.
Trading away LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges - two pieces that made up 40% of the NBA’s best five-man unit last season - was the kind of move that stopped people in their tracks. The reaction around the league was immediate, and inside the locker room, Sion James sounded like someone trying to process it in real time.
“In those sorts of situations, it's really just more about locking in together, banding together tighter and tighter. It's crazy, it's definitely a shock to the system anytime the guys you play with get traded or move on...”
James didn’t pretend it was easy. He said the Hornets still care about those former teammates, but the focus now has to be on the group that’s left.
“We love those guys, still talk to them, but the reality is that we play on the court with the guys we have here. It just makes it even more important that we really value all the moments we're together and love each other even more,” James concluded.
That’s the emotional side of it. The basketball side matters too, and it lands right on James’ plate.
With Ball gone, his role is affected directly. He had already been forced into more point guard duty than expected because of Ball’s injury and the lack of a real backup option.
Charlotte added Coby White to keep James from spending too much time at the one, but White is now in the starting five. That leaves James as a candidate to see more minutes there again. Rookie Christian Anderson Jr. is also in the mix, though the Hornets may choose to ease him along.
It’s the kind of roster churn the NBA throws at teams all the time. This offseason alone brought major swings, from the Ball trade to the LeBron James free agency. Still, even if it’s part of the league, it can hit like a shock when it actually happens.
James found that out early in his NBA career.
In Other News...
Hornets Fans Have A New Reason To Question This Dorian Finney-Smith Move
The Hornets added veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith in a move that has already added another layer to a busy offseason in Charlotte. He came over from the Houston Rockets, giving the team another experienced name to sort through as it continues reshaping the roster around a wave of recent activity that has already included trades involving LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and Miles Bridges, along with two selections in the draft.
What makes this one stand out is the uncertainty attached to it. Finney-Smith is the kind of player teams usually target for stability and lineup flexibility, but the fit in Charlotte is not as straightforward as the transaction sheet suggests, and the move leaves fans wondering how much immediate value the Hornets actually expect to get from it. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Lock In Final Two-Way Spots After Telling Roster Decision
The Hornets have now settled their Two-Way picture for the upcoming season, adding forward Michael Ajayi and guard Kylan Boswell to round out the trio of spots. Center PJ Hall remains on a Two-Way deal from last season, giving Charlotte a small but important bit of continuity as the team sorts through the back end of its roster heading into summer action.
Ajayi and Boswell are both expected to get their first look in Hornets colors during NBA Summer League, which gives Charlotte a chance to evaluate two young players in a competitive setting. For a team still shaping its depth chart, those minutes matter, even if the bigger roster questions are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Offseason Just Got Busier With Moves Fans Will Debate
The Hornets offseason keeps picking up speed, and the latest moves give the front office a little more to sell as it tries to shape a roster that can actually fit together. Charlotte finalized a trade with Houston for veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, adding a proven defender and another layer of toughness to a team that has been looking for more stability on the wing. The club also made Coby Whites new contract official, a move that signals some continuity for a young core that still needs clear direction.
For Hornets fans, the debate is less about whether the team has been active and more about whether these are the right kinds of moves to matter. Finney-Smith brings a profile that should help in a number of ways, but Charlotte still has to prove it can turn offseason activity into real momentum once the games count. Whites deal locks in another piece of the puzzle, and now the bigger question is how the rest of the roster will be built around him. [Read more 🡒]