CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the Charlotte Hornets, a new season brings a very different look—shaped by a series of major offseason decisions and, most notably, the departure of one of the franchise’s most recognizable names.
After being eliminated in last season’s Play-In Tournament, 121-91 on the road by the Orlando Magic, the Hornets entered the offseason looking to be aggressive in the market.
Instead of simply adding around the existing core, the organization made significant changes to the roster—marking the beginning of a new, dynamic chapter.
Headlining this list of offseason moves is the franchise parting ways with LaMelo Ball—the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and one-time All-Star guard—who fans long viewed as the organization’s cornerstone for seasons to come.
Coming off a season that saw Ball average 20.1 PPG, 7.1 assists, and shooting 36.8% from 3PT, the playmaking guard was also coming off the most games played in one season in his career since playing in 72 games during the 2021-22 season—having missed 179 out of 410 eligible games (43.6%) in the previous five seasons.
As part of this blockbuster, multi-team trade announced on June 25, the Minnesota Timberwolves received Ball, Josh Green, and the draft rights to Duke forward Isaiah Evans, who was selected with the No. 33 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In return, the Hornets walked away with former Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and a collection of draft capital, including a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030, and second-round selections in 2029, 2032, and 2033.
Bolstering a frontcourt that has been a noticeable weakness in previous seasons, front office officials stress their immediate focus was adding depth, versatility, and postseason experience with a player of Reid’s caliber.
“My first thing that I usually do is for the players that we have returning, look into how are we going to help those guys get better? What are the things that we’re going to need to do to improve upon what we did last year?” Charles Lee said. “Looking at obviously our offense and defensive efficiency, what were the areas that I think we can get better at? Turnover percentage stuck out to me a little bit, and so how to be a little bit more aggressive? How can your hands be a little bit more active?”
During the first media availability of the season, Charlotte Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee highlighted that versatility was one of the biggest reasons behind pursuing a trade to bring big man Naz Reid into what the team is trying to build on both ends of the court—ranging from ability to defend multiple positions, protect the paint, switch onto different matchups, and make his presence known by punishing smaller defenders in mismatches.
However, for a young team that has not had a playoff berth since the 2015-16 season, the goal remains the same heading into this upcoming season: bring postseason basketball back inside the Spectrum Center.
“I have that burning desire even more to put together a great product on the court for the city and for the Carolinas,” Lee said. “I think we put out and acquired these targeted veterans that are going to bring something to both sides of the ball. They’ve all played at a high level offensively and defensively throughout their career—we’re looking at 219 games of playoff experience.”
This offseason roster revamp also saw other moves.
In July, the Hornets finalized a trade sending 28-year-old forward Miles Bridges—who averaged 17.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG last season on 46% from the field—to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and an unprotected 2033 first-round pick.
The draft capital sent to the Suns also included a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick.
On paper, guard Grayson Allen comes off a career year averaging 16.5 PPG and 3.8 APG, while veteran Royce O’Neale adds size and defensive versatility.
The Hornets made another notable backcourt move late in the offseason, but it came with an unexpected twist.
On September 22, veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield was acquired from Atlanta as part of a trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith to the Hawks—bringing to the Hornets more than a decade of NBA experience and a career 39.5% from behind the arc (along with 2,201 made threes, which ranks inside the Top 15 in NBA history).
However, Hield’s stay lasted only a few days.
On September 27, the Hornets finalized another trade, sending Hield and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for 21-year-old guard Rob Dillingham.
Entering the league as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky, Dillingham was moved to Chicago during last season’s trade deadline—appearing in 30 games for the Bulls and averaging 9.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.
Just one day after this transaction, the Charlotte Hornets ultimately decided not to keep him on the roster and waived the recently acquired Dillingham off their roster.
These corresponding moves extend far beyond just the names listed on the roster.
The responsibility of the remaining primary ball-handlers, such as guards like Coby White, will look different now that this season looms in the weeks ahead.
“I knew it would be a challenge for the road ahead, and I knew that in order for me to become the player that I strive to be, that I dream of becoming, I have to take on this challenge,” White explained. “I knew that I would be in a different role, be in a different light. I have a lot of responsibility and a lot on my shoulders, and I think I’m ready for it.”
From an offensive standpoint, this production is expected to come from different sources.
One of the biggest differences between this year’s roster and the group that entered last season is how many players Charlotte can turn to, depending on what a particular game requires.
With this influx of talented, versatile, and experienced shot creators and offensive facilitation allows for players such as White the opportunity to remain aggressive depending on the context and flow of the games throughout the season—particulary matchups that come down to one possesion.
“Obviously, I have a lot more on my plate now. I still got to be aggressive, but also be cognizant of others out there with me on the court: there’s super talented players with me on the court now,” White said. “I think this overall experience is going to help me become a way better player than I was the past couple years of my career. I have some stuff to change my routine a little bit in terms of film breakdown, film study, and those types of things.”
In the backcourt, former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller—who’s coming off a 20.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.3 APG on 38.3 3PT% last season—has officially been cleared for full contact after spending the summer recovering from a shoulder surgery that was completed in May to address instability in the joint that he fought through toward the end of last season’s stretch of games.
“Our goal is, of course, playoffs,” Brandon Miller said. “We have a lot of new pieces now playing to our advantage. Now that we have new pieces, we can run, play fast… where I think we have enough options that we can be in a good position and just finding ways to balance out the competitive spirit.”
Looking to make strides of improvement on both ends of the court, Miller described how his focus shifted following this offseason’s transactions.
“I watched a lot of film this summer. I’ve looked at all the numbers [and] finishing around the rim was a little bit lower than I was thinking, so getting that percentage up, I think that will come with being in the weight room this summer,” Miller said. “Having the new guys around, kind of figur[ing] out what they like to do, what their strengths [and] weaknesses are will be good for going into this season.”
Hornets sharpshooter Kon Knueppel is also coming off a historic rookie campaign.
Drafted 4th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke University, Knueppel quickly established his identity in the organization’s offensive scheme and finished the season averaging 18.5 points per game on 47.5 FG% and 42.5 3PT%.
Last season, the rookie broke several shooting records.
Leading the league in total three-pointers made with swishing 273 buckets—shattering the NBA’s rookie all-time record—Knueppel also broke Kemba Walker’s previous single-season franchise record for threes and finished second in voting for the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year.
While his shooting ability immediately became one of the defining parts of this offense’s game plan, he spent the offseason ahead of his second season trying to expand his game beyond simply catching and shooting—such as working on finishing, ball-handling, secondary playmaking, and creating more opportunities off the dribble.
Looking ahead to the start of the season, it will be some time before Hornets fans see Knueppel take the court again.
On Sept. 9, while playing in pickup games inside of the Hornets’ practice facility, the standout shooting guard suffered a hamstring injury and has been sidelined for the entirety of preseason play.
“I just got a rebound, a defensive rebound, and went coast to coast with it,” Knueppel said. “I just felt my hamstring pull up on me… then I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s a cramp.’ It feels good [and] I’m not dealing with any pain now. It’s just going through the steps of starting to run, getting back to playing 5-on-5, playing against contact and ramping myself up from there.”
With this mix of returning and new players acclimating to their styles, the chemistry could also lead to a deeper, long-awaited playoff push.
“A big part of this season was managing expectations—both for myself and as a team. My expectations for myself are pretty high as well,” Knueppel said. “We just actually talked about it in there: expect excellence. That’s what we’re going to hold each other to. We’re going to play a little bit differently this year, but I feel more comfortable [going] off the dribble, shooting those threes after this offseason—we are going to get a lot of assisted attempts.”
For loyal Charlotte Hornets fans looking for ways to watch their nightly matchups, the organization is making the puzzle of finding where the game is on TV a little easier.
On Wednesday morning, the Charlotte Hornets organization announced new broadcast partnerships with Gray Media and Sinclair that will bring most of the team’s games to more viewers across North Carolina and South Carolina throughout the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season.
As the organization works to make Hornets basketball more accessible on television, team officials stress that the move aims to address previous barriers that have frustrated fans who did not know where or how to watch their favorite team take the court.
Mike Behan, who currently serves as the chief business and revenue officer of the Charlotte Hornets, describes how navigating an ever-evolving broadcast landscape—including shifts from traditional television to streaming services—is part of a broader “fan-first” approach to recognize the team’s loyal fanbase across the Carolinas.
“It’s really important for us to continue to find ways to bring our games to our fans. And for us, we’ll sit down at the end of the season and determine what the best option is,” Behan said. “In order for us to grow fans, I always think about myself as a young kid watching basketball games, and that’s how I became a fan of teams. That’s what we’re trying to do for our fans… we want to make sure that there’s so much energy, so much excitement around the Hornets organization [and] we want to continue to build upon that, and not just here in Charlotte, but across the Carolinas.”
Under this new distribution model, about 75 non-nationally televised games will air on these stations.
For those in the stomping grounds of the Greensboro Swarm—the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate and reigning champions—these games will be available through access to WMYV Channel 48 (MY48 Sports).
Opening preseason play against the Brooklyn Nets, the Hornets will get their first opportunity to take the court inside the Spectrum Center on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
The roster is different. The roles are different. The expectations are different.
To kick off the regular season, the Hornets will travel on the road and face off against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.