Hornets Shake Things Up in Uncharacteristically Active Offseason

Programs, get your programs! You’re going to need them to recognize the Charlotte Hornets roster after a tumultuous 10 days that included the 2025 NBA Draft, free agency signings and a number of trades that, when the dust settles, will leave a heavily altered team as head exec Jeff Peterson goes about upgrading his squad. 

While some believe all this action has only set up a larger move still to come, at the time of this writing what remains from the fracas is a guard-heavy roster that in the past few days has added eighth-year guard Collin Sexton in a trade with Utah and signed veteran point guard Spencer Dimwiddie from free agency. The team also gained a second round pick and gave big man Jusef Nurkic to Utah in the trade. 

Mark Williams was dealt again, this time for good, dealing the center to Phoenix for the 29th pick in the first round, which ended up being guard Liam McNeeley from UConn, along with an additional first-round pick coming in 2029. McNeeley was one of three guards whom the Hornets drafted in the first two rounds along with Kon Knueppel of Duke (No. 4 overall) and his teammate Sion James (33rd overall). 

They also brought back Vasilije Micić, who played with the Hornets for the first half of last season before being dealt to the Suns at the deadline, but he proved just to be another piece to deal, going to Milwaukee a few days later for guard Pat Connaughton and two future second-round picks. 

That’s six additional guards joining LaMelo Ball, Josh Green, Nick Smith Jr. and KJ Simpson. But wait, there’s more! After letting point guard Tre Mann slip into free agency, they brought him back on a 3-year, $24-million deal. That adds up to 11, and there simply isn’t enough playing time for that many guards. 

Let’s just say this year’s Summer League in Vegas will be a competitive one among teammates fighting for a spot on the final roster. 

How do the guards stack up? 

It’s objectively true that LaMelo Ball is the current face of the franchise for the Charlotte Hornets. He’s the focus of the offense, the ballhandler, the shooter, the human highlight reel and, to everyone’s chagrin, the guy often seated on the bench in street clothes. 

That last part could be a big reason why the team has compiled so many guards in this uncharacteristically active offseason, but it remains whether they’re overcorrecting or there are bigger moves in the works. 

Collin Sexton is a reliable scorer and 3-point shooter, and while not exactly a point guard, he has shown some promise in the position, at the very least improving his skills there during his past few seasons in Utah. He’s likely to see a lot of minutes in Charlotte. 

Spencer Dimwiddie is a point guard but was a surprising pickup given the volume of bodies the team has at this position. I see him as insurance in case of another Ball injury. 

Kon Knueppel was a statement selection as Charlotte’s first overall draft pick. Instead of taking a couple players that might not have fit with Ball and Brandon Miller, the Hornets took the sure thing in Knueppel. While not necessarily comparable to his phenom former teammate Cooper Flagg, he might be the next best thing. 

“They’re both versatile,” Jeff Peterson said during his post-draft press conference at Spectrum. “I would say we have the better shooter. They have a lot of parallel traits to one another and in my mind, they equate to winning.” 

Knueppel adds outstanding shooting and an all-around game that should fit nicely in Coach Charles Lee’s system. 

Sion James is a dawg on the court, an in-your-face type of defender like Lu Dort from Oklahoma City and someone who could matter in the future. 

Tre Mann looked like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate last year until an injury took him out. He provides offense and a fearlessness that this team needs.

That leaves Green, Smith, Simpson and the most recent acquisition, Pat Connaughton, on the bubble. Green gives them defense but his offensive production has been disappointing. Smith hasn’t gotten many opportunities and hasn’t flashed in the few that have come. Simpson could very well be on the outs. 

Heading into his 11th season, 32-year-old Connaughton has been on a downward trend since peaking in 2021-22 and may end up off the roster by the season’s start. 

What does the frontcourt look like? 

Brandon Miller is possibly the most important player on the club as he enters his third season, coming back from an injury that saw him play only 27 games in 2024-25. He has to step up. He’s known as a player who can shoot and create, but before the injury, I thought he wasn’t as good as the promise he showed in his rookie season. 

He’s also got to put more focus on the defensive end, which goes for most of the players on this team. 

Miles Bridges is back and will get a lot of playing time thanks to the shortage of quality forwards. Grant Williams played just 16 games before going out with an ACL injury last year and is not expected back by the start of the season. He is needed, as he adds toughness to this team. 

That leaves Tidjane Salaun and Moussa Diabate at the power forward position. Diabate has also played some center; he’s a defensive stalwart and a demon on the offensive boards. Salaun is a raw player who I think was one of Peterson’s misses. But with Summer League approaching, I’m anxious to see if he can make me eat my words about him. 

Another returnee to the roster is Mason Plumlee, who played for Charlotte from 2021-23 and was brought back on a one-year contract this week to help address the team’s shortage of bigs. 

Also likely to get some decent playing time depending on his Summer League performance is Ryan Kalkbrenner, drafted in the second round from Creighton. He’s a force in the middle and was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year all four years that he started there. He’ll hopefully provide protection at the rim that Williams failed to. 

Outlook for the Hornets 

While the Eastern Conference is a mess at the moment, with injuries hobbling a slew of key players across the conference, the Hornets are still a very young squad that has a lot of growing to do, as well as getting to know each other and learning the system. 

It’s too early to make any season predictions, but I like the direction the team is taking, especially with the draft. Charlotte added smart players who are more concerned with winning than individual stats. 

“They hate losing and they love to win,” said Peterson, “which is what we want to be about.”