The Charlotte Hornets are one of the youngest organizations in the NBA. Forming in 1988, the Hornets rebranded to the Bobcats in 2004 before they once again became the Hornets in 2014. While the name of the team has changed, this franchise's lack of success has remained.
They've never advanced past the Eastern Conference Semifinals and since the conclusion of the 2001-02 season, this team has not won a playoff series. In fact, they've only made the playoffs three times in this span, their last appearance coming in 2016.
The 2022-23 season was a major disappointment for Charlotte. They went just 27-55 to start Steve Clifford's second stint as the head coach of the organization after finishing with 43 wins during the 2021-22 season. For a little bit, the Hornets appeared to be a young team on the rise in the Eastern Conference, but a handful of things went wrong for them.
All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball could not stay healthy, as he appeared in a career-low 36 games, and the team as a whole only had four players play in at least 60 games. It seemed like Clifford and his staff were having to change their rotations every single night due to injuries and ailments, which does not bode well for an immature and inexperienced roster.
What had transpired with Miles Bridges last summer also loomed large over the organization, as Charlotte's breakout star was arrested and faced domestic abuse charges. Once thought to receive a new nine-figure contract from the Hornets, Bridges ended up sitting out the entirety of 2022-23 season.
Compared to what happened a year ago, this offseason presented a chance for the Hornets to regain hope and promise. They do have one of the better youthful cores in the league based on their overall potential and Charlotte's financial flexibility allowed them addresses their future at hand.
Offseason additions and departures
Additions: F Miles Bridges (free agency), F Brandon Miller (draft), G Nick Smith Jr. (draft), G Frank Ntilikina (free agency), G Amari Bailey (draft)
Departures: G/F Kelly Oubre Jr. (free agency), G Dennis Smith Jr. (free agency – BKN), G/F Svi Mykhailiuk (free agency – BOS), G Theo Maledon (free agency)
As he prepares for his fourth season in the league and entering the final year of his rookie contract, Ball is not going anywhere anytime soon after inking a five-year, $260 million extension. This was an easy decision for the Hornets and their All-Star guard to make, as he has been everything this franchise has been needing. Ball plays with a certain level of swag that resonates with his teammates, plus there's not much he can't do on the floor.
“Where we at, I feel like we are all growing together,” Ball stated during his offseason press conference. “I think it’s just a great position and I think we are all going the right way now.”
The face of this franchise was not the only player to receive long-term security, though, as PJ Washington recently put pen to paper on a new deal and Bridges is returning after his year-long absence.
Washington entered the offseason as a restricted free agent and one of the better players available given the rise he made this past year. However, interest in the 25-year-old was low as a result of the Hornets having the ability to match any offer he could have received from a rival team. Following roughly two months of going back and forth in negotiations, Washington and Charlotte agreed to a three-year, $48 million contract that will pay him an average annual value of about $16 million.
Ball and Washington were both expected to receive new contracts this offseason, which is why the Hornets biggest addition was Brandon Miller. Selected second overall in this year's draft, Miller enters the NBA as a lengthy combo forward who thrived as a scorer at Alabama. He possesses a high basketball IQ and can be a stable presence on the wing, which is why Charlotte fell in love with him throughout the pre-draft process.
Alongside Ball, the Hornets are hopeful that Miller will rapidly become the team's No. 2 option who can impact winning on both sides of the floor. It will be interesting to see what the 20-year-old's role looks like heading into the new campaign, especially with Bridges returning to the team.
Once the budding star this franchise needed on the wing, Bridges still has a lot of work to do in order to possibly repair his image, something he alluded to during his introductory press conference this offseason.
“I apologize to everyone for the pain and embarrassment I caused to everyone, but especially my family,” Bridges stated. “This year away, I've used it to prioritize just going to therapy and becoming the best person I can be… A lot of people don't get a second chance and I want to use this just to prove to everyone that I'm the same kid that you drafted five years ago. I'm just happy to be back and I can't wait to get this year started.”
After agreeing to the one-year qualifying offer that was extended to him, Bridges will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
In addition to Miller and Bridges joining the team on the wing, the Hornets also continued to form their young core of the future with Nick Smith Jr. and Amari Bailey in the NBA Draft. Smith was drafted 27th overall, while Bailey was drafted 41st overall and signed a two-way contract with the team.
With Dennis Smith Jr. and Theo Maledon no longer with the organization, plus James Bouknight's future being a question mark, Smith has a chance to see a handful of minutes early on in his career. His two-way abilities are what makes him an intriguing prospect in Charlotte.
With training camp right around the corner, the Hornets currently have all 15 of their roster spots filled. Kelly Oubre Jr. remains a free agent who some believed the team would consider bringing back, but after drafting Miller and signing Bridges, his NBA career will need to continue elsewhere.
Futures of Gordon Hayward & Terry Rozier
The Hornets have a ton of recent draft picks on their roster, all of which are continuing to grow and develop every single offseason. Players like Nick Richards, Mark Williams, Kai Jones, JT Thor and Bryce McGowens are all in this group of younger players.
The team also has some veteran players such as Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier, both of which do not necessarily fit the youthful timeline put into place.
Rozier is only 29 and he has played the best basketball of his career since joining Charlotte in 2019. Although he currently has three more years left on his contract, including the upcoming 2023-24 season, Rozier has been a subject of trade rumors over the last year. There were a handful of teams expressing interest in him ahead of February's trade deadline, yet the Hornets were reluctant to trade him since they lacked depth in their backcourt.
With Ball healthy and Smith set to begin his rookie campaign, the veteran guard has now become somewhat expendable. He is owed $23 million this upcoming season and still has over $70 million left on his current deal. If the Hornets' new ownership is looking for ways to open up cap space for next summer, possibly to either re-sign Bridges or pursue other free agents, moving on from Rozier would surely be an appealing option.
Then again, he's arguably been the team's second-best offensive option alongside Ball in the backcourt. In 63 games last year, Rozier averaged 21.1 points and 5.1 assists per game, both of which were new career-highs for him. As he prepares for his ninth NBA season and fifth with the Hornets, the crafty combo guard will likely hear his name in trade rumors once more as the season progresses.
Hayward has been in Charlotte since the start of the 2020-21 season and he's been a veteran voice for this team. However, he has only played in 60 percent of the team's total games over the last three years.
With his production declining and the Hornets bringing in more forward depth this offseason, it does appear as if Hayward's days with the franchise are numbered. His salary is hefty at $31.5 million this season, but the 33-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
The organization could elect to keep him around in order to mentor some of the rising talents on the roster, Miller especially, but Hayward likely wants a role where he can contribute meaningful minutes to his team. It is hard to see him being this type of player in Charlotte moving forward.
This is why the veteran could possibly be traded over the course of the first portion of the season. There is virtually no interest in Hayward around the league right now, but he is on a large, expiring contract. As a result, he could wind up being an interesting option for teams searching for a veteran contributor out on the wing. Since the Hornets are unlikely to re-sign him next offseason, it may be worthwhile for the team to get what they can from another organization for Hayward.
2023-24 season outlook
The good news for the Hornets is that they can only get better compared to the product they put out on the court last season, although they were not necessarily the worst 27-55 team in NBA history.
There is absolutely potential that exists on this roster and the start of their success revolves around LaMelo Ball. He dealt with a handful of ankle injuries last season before suffering a fractured right ankle before the start of March. The word coming out of Charlotte this offseason is that Ball is 100 percent healed from this injury and ready to go for the start of the new year.
Growing as a scorer, facilitator, and all-around leader every season that he has been in the league, Ball will be the catalyst that once again looks to get the Hornets trending in the right direction.
What this team's offense looks like outside of LaMelo is going to be the key question entering the 2023-24 season, as they certainly have some interesting secondary options. Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller will both be tasked with taking on the scoring load from the wing position, and the Hornets should be confident in Terry Rozier's abilities to play with or without the ball in his hands, regardless if Ball is on the floor.
PJ Washington grew more confident in his abilities to shoot from the perimeter last season and Charlotte continues to speak highly of 2022 first-round pick Mark Williams, who shot 63.7 percent from the floor last year. While he's more of a factor on the defensive side of the floor, Williams will be a player the Hornets count on in pick-and-roll sets offensively.
It may be hard to come to the conclusion that the Hornets have what it takes to make the playoffs this season, but they can certainly win more than 27 games. Who knows, maybe they can possibly be in contention for a play-in tournament spot entering 2024!
While it is unlikely they will actually finish with a good enough record to compete for a postseason spot, this young, fiery team will be better during the second half of the year compared to the first half. Time and experience are the two things this core lacks the most, which is why the Hornets' new identity will be forged as the season progresses. There is definitely a lot to like about the future of this organization.
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