The Charlotte Hornets are quietly building one of the league’s promising rosters after making a significant move this offseason.
Former Hornets superstar LaMelo Ball is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Josh Green and a draft pick, in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks.
Speaking to UnitedWeCast with Ric Bucher and Brendan Haywood, the Charlotte community was mad about Ball’s departure, as he became the face of the franchise for six seasons.
“The Charlotte Hornets to me are the most fascinating team because I’m you when we talked about it, like everybody in Charlotte is upset that LaMelo Ball is gone. I’m looking at this roster, and I’m looking at the moves that they’ve made,” Bucher said.
Bucher noted that Charlotte’s additions are not just future-centered, but also filling up the gaps, helping the backcourts.
“I like the addition of Naz Reid. I like that there’s going to be more put on Brandon Miller’s plate. You take all those threes that Lamelo was jacking, and now you got a couple more for Kon Knueppel and a couple more for Brandon Miller, a couple more for Coby White. They’re young. And so I could see them having a really good regular season and then get exposed in the playoffs in the first round, have their learning experience,” Bucher added.
On top of that, Haywood added that the franchise might earn 50 wins this upcoming season, considering experiences in recent years and having 44 wins last season.
“But here’s the thing that I think people are forgetting…Charlotte won 44. Like I have far more reason to look at Charlotte and go, you know what, they could get to 50…, because whereas I see the Hornets pieces fitting together,” Haywood stated.
The Hornets finished the 2025-26 season with a 44-38 win-loss record, placing ninth in the Eastern Conference, and were eliminated by the Orlando Magic during the play-in tournament.
