The Hornets have made a pair of key hires for their NBA G League setup, bringing in Mike Pires as general manager and Zach Peterson as head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced.
Pires will keep his current role as the Hornets’ director of pro personnel while also running the Swarm’s basketball operations. Peterson, meanwhile, is coming off two seasons as an assistant coach and director of player development with Charlotte.
Before that, Pires spent five seasons in the Nets’ basketball operations department as a scout, working alongside Hawks executive VP of basketball operations Jeff Peterson. Peterson’s background includes two seasons as an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2022-24 and three seasons as a player development coach with the Thunder from 2019-22.
Elsewhere in the Southeast, the Wizards’ offseason overhaul has put them squarely in the spotlight. They re-signed Trae Young, used the No. 1 pick on AJ Dybantsa, and added Khris Middleton, Deandre Ayton and Tre Mann.
ESPN’s Insiders are already asking how much better this group can be after a 65-loss season, and they described the Wizards as “all-in” on Young, who will be part of a young core that also includes Anthony Davis and Dybantsa. Ohm Youngmisuk noted that Washington could surprise some people if Davis returns healthy and looks like the dominant force he has been in the past.
Ayton, in particular, is drawing attention for what he can add. Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network broke down the big man’s game and pointed to his rebounding as well as the efficiency he showed with the Lakers last season, when he posted career-best marks in true shooting percentage at 67.6 and effective field goal percentage at 67.1.
There’s also a familiar connection forming for Luguentz Dort. The former Thunder guard is eager to join old friend Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the Hawks, Clemente Almanza of The Thunder Wire reported.
Dort said, “It’s amazing. Obviously, Nickeil is one of my closest friends,” he said.
“Played on the same team with Nickeil in high school and against him our whole life, obviously. When I got the call and I knew I was heading there, I hit him right away.
I was really happy. He’s helped me out throughout this whole transition and with their style of play.
I’m glad that I got a guy like him on my team now.”
And in Orlando, the Magic have expanded their TV reach. The team and WMOR-TV announced a new partnership that will put all regular-season games not carried nationally on WMOR-TV Channel 32 in the Tampa area next season. The deal builds on last year’s arrangement, when the station aired 10 Magic games.
In Other News...
Magic Just Made A Bigger Play For Tampa Area Fans
The Magic are giving their push into the Tampa-St. Petersburg market a bigger platform, announcing an expanded partnership with WMOR-TV that will put all regular season games not picked up nationally on the air there for the 2026-27 NBA season. It is an extension of an existing arrangement, but the new setup should make the team far easier to follow for viewers on the west coast of Florida who have been stuck piecing together access in the past.
The broadcasts will continue to feature Dante Marchitelli and Jeff Turner, with Kendra Douglas back as reporter, giving the regional telecasts some continuity as the Magic deepen their reach beyond Orlando. For a franchise that has long worked to widen its footprint, full over-the-air access in Tampa carries obvious value, and it also gives the team another way to stay visible in one of Floridas most important media markets. [Read more 🡒]
Orlando Magic Still Have One Obvious Hurdle To Real Playoff Progress
Injuries have been the constant drag on Orlandos rise, with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both forced to work through stretches that undercut the teams rhythm and ceiling. Even so, the Magic kept pushing enough to reach the playoffs, a sign of how much talent remains in place and how much the group has been able to withstand while trying to climb in the East.
The first-round exit, though, left the front office with a clear message: getting there is not the same as taking the next step. Jamahl Mosley was dismissed and Sean Sweeney was brought in to guide the next phase, with the organization continuing to circle back to the same core issue - health and consistency have to hold if Orlando is going to turn promise into real postseason progress. [Read more 🡒]
Paolo Banchero Faces A Bigger Question Than This Latest Snub
Paolo Banchero keeps finding himself in the middle of the leagues youth debate, and the latest shift only sharpens the conversation around his place in it. The Magic forward had been sitting at the top of one ranking of the NBAs best players at 23, only to be nudged aside by Amen Thompson, a move that says less about a single list and more about the tight race among the leagues brightest young stars.
For Orlando, the bigger issue is not a slot in a ranking but what Banchero becomes next. He already gives the Magic scoring and leadership, but Thompsons edge in defense, rebounding and efficiency is a reminder of the areas that still matter most for Bancheros ceiling. If Orlando is going to push past its recent playoff frustration, Bancheros next step likely has to come through sharper efficiency and a more reliable outside shot. [Read more 🡒]