The Hornets are hoping to build on a strong 2025-26 season. Charlotte could not get out of the Play-In Tournament, but the team went 44-38, played beautiful offensive basketball, and made real strides toward establishing the culture Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee want.
After all of that, the Hornets made more offseason moves than a 12-year-old running a franchise in NBA 2K, most aimed at adding future assets and improving salary-cap flexibility. But this is a very different team after one of those moves sent former franchise player LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves.
The front office sold Ball after one of the healthiest seasons of his career. The trade brought back Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three second-round picks, and three first-round swaps. Charlotte also added another valuable first in the deal that sent Miles Bridges to the Suns for Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale.
Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Hannes Steinbach (No. 14), and Christian Anderson Jr. (No. 18) also walked through the door in the offseason. We know what the first two can do, but the rookies will be fun to watch. Analytically, Steinbach was an otherworldly rebounder at Washington. Meanwhile, Anderson is a sniper who can also run the offense.
Charlotte’s moves signaled a willingness to step back now in order to take multiple steps forward soon — and I do see the step back coming, leaning Under on the win total. The Hornets are as well positioned as anyone to assemble the assets needed to trade for the next available superstar, but who knows who — or when — that’ll be?
BURNING QUESTIONS
How will Charlotte function without LaMelo?
Charlotte put up a league-high 122.4 points per 100 possessions from January 1 through the end of last season. Ball’s 20.1 points and 7.1 assists per game played a major role in that, and his 3.8 triples per game on 10.3 attempts helped the Hornets drown opponents in threes.
Without Ball’s ability to shoot off the bounce, create for others, and apply rim pressure, this offense will not look the same in 2026-27. The Hornets will lean more on on-ball creation from Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, who have clearly been handed the keys. But Charlotte will keep firing from deep, especially with the shooters added this offseason.
Knueppel, who dealt with a minor hamstring injury in camp, averaged 18.5 points per game as a rookie. He is one of the league’s most lethal shooters, but there is more to his game than that. Charlotte will try to unlock that by putting him in uncomfortable situations. Miller is a three-level scorer who also competes defensively, and this feels like the season an All-Star leap could be coming.
Coby White will man the point, bringing electric shooting but limited playmaking. In a small sample last season, Charlotte scored 133.8 points per 100 possessions with White, Knueppel, and Miller on the floor without Ball. The Hornets will hope that group stays elite offensively. Schroder should also give them solid minutes at the spot.
Reid cannot be forgotten, either. He is a career 37.1% three-point shooter with an underrated off-the-dribble game, and the floor should be nicely spaced whenever he is out there with Charlotte’s core.
The bench should be a major strength. Beyond Schroder, Allen and O’Neale should give the Hornets quality wing minutes. Grant Williams can move the ball and knock down shots, while Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steinbach will spell Moussa Diabate with energy and toughness. We could also see flashes from Sion James, Anderson, and Tidjane Salaun.
Charlotte should be difficult to guard, but it also will not do much defending. Even with Ball in Minnesota, we are talking about a similar makeup. It just might be a little worse.
Will Reid level up now that he’s freed from the frontcourt logjam in Minnesota?
Reid is a great pickup even if he remains the player he was in Minnesota, but there is always hope he breaks out after escaping a difficult situation. Well, calling the Timberwolves a “difficult situation” is a bit harsh given their team success. Still, Reid always played behind Karl-Anthony Towns or Julius Randle, never getting a real opportunity to start at the four. He should have that with the Hornets.
Last season, without Randle on the floor, Reid’s per-75 numbers rose from 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds to 19.6 points and 8.2 rebounds. A modest jump, perhaps nothing to write home about. However, Minnesota was a +8.1 with Reid on the floor and Randle off it. That is pretty significant. And prior to Randle’s arrival, when Reid played without Towns, he put up 21.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per 75 possessions.
There is a real chance his counting stats improve with the runway to play 30+ minutes without looking over his shoulder. That would make the Ball trade look much better.
Is this a playoff team?
There is enough talent here for Charlotte to remain highly competitive, especially with Lee pulling the strings. Still, this feels like a minor step back from the on-court quality we saw in the second half of 2025-26. Look for the Hornets to be a borderline top-10 team in Adjusted Offensive Rating, but to be held back by a bottom-10 Adjusted Defensive Rating.
The end result could be another Play-In Tournament exit. But the future is bright in Charlotte, and it will be interesting to see when the organization pushes its chips in.
WIN TOTAL LEAN: Under 39.5
