![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Coby-White-Hornets-200x300.jpg\")
Coby White<\/a>: Three years, $74,000,000. Fully guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.\nJosiah Allick<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
\nJarkel Joiner<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
\nKyle Mangas<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
\nBez Mbeng<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
\nKobe Stewart<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
\nTrey Townsend<\/a>: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9\/10). Signed using minimum salary exception.<\/p>\n
Note: All of these players except White and Mbeng have been waived.<\/p>\n
Trades<\/p>\n
Acquired Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>, the Grizzlies\u2019 2027 second-round pick, the Rockets\u2019 2028 second-round pick, and the Rockets\u2019 2033 second-round pick from the Rockets in exchange for cash ($110K). Draft picks<\/p>\n 1-14: Hannes Steinbach<\/a><\/p>\n Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $24,981,907). First two years guaranteed. Third- and fourth-year team options.<\/p>\n 1-18: Christian Anderson Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $20,613,239). First two years guaranteed. Third- and fourth-year team options.<\/p>\n Two-way signings<\/p>\n Michael Ajayi<\/a><\/p>\n Two years, $91,000 partial guarantee (will increase to $339,441 at start of regular season); second year non-guaranteed.<\/p>\n Kylan Boswell<\/a><\/p>\n Two years, $91,000 partial guarantee (will increase to $339,441 at start of regular season); second year non-guaranteed.<\/p>\n Note: The Hornets carried over PJ Hall<\/a>\u00a0on a two-way contract from 2025\/26.<\/p>\n Departed\/unsigned free agents<\/p>\n Other roster moves<\/p>\n Salary cap situation<\/p>\n Note: Figures are rounded to one decimal place.<\/p>\n Operating over the cap ($165MM) and below the first tax apron ($209MM). The offseason so far<\/p>\n The Hornets have been extremely active since Jeff Peterson became the team\u2019s head of basketball operations in March 2024, making a series of trades to stockpile draft assets and inject the roster with a mix of young talent and seasoned veterans. The big question entering the 2026 offseason was, would that trend continue after Charlotte went 28-10 down the stretch of last season?<\/p>\n The answer, it turns out, was a resounding yes. But even for the Peterson-led front office, this offseason was different.<\/p>\n Most of the Hornets\u2019 trades over the past couple years had involved rival teams sending Charlotte draft capital to take on unwanted contracts. There were a few notable exceptions, including Phoenix trading for Mark Williams<\/a> last year and Charlotte acquiring Coby White<\/a> in February, but for the most part, the Hornets operated as a salary-dumping ground.<\/p>\n Those sorts of transactions were relatively straightforward for a rebuilding club with the financial flexibility to accommodate contracts that might have been onerous for a team facing a steep luxury tax bill or some other sort of financial and\/or roster crunch. On top of their strong finish to 2025\/26, the Hornets entered the offseason with two first-round picks in the teens (Nos. 14 and 18) and a sizeable stash of future assets.<\/p>\n That draft cache has grown substantially after the front office decided to part with former franchise player LaMelo Ball<\/a> and veteran forward Miles Bridges<\/a>, whose long tenure with the team was marred by domestic violence charges.<\/p>\n As part of a four-team blockbuster trade, Charlotte sent Ball and Josh Green<\/a> to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid<\/a>, the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo<\/a>, the Timberwolves\u2019 unprotected first-round pick in 2033, three first-round swaps, and three second-rounders (all from the Wolves).<\/p>\n The Suns, who had long been linked to Bridges, traded Grayson Allen<\/a>, Royce O\u2019Neale<\/a> and their 2033 first-round pick to Charlotte to acquire the former Michigan State star. Charlotte sent Phoenix a low-value 2029 first-round pick (the least favorable of four teams\u2019 selections) and a least favorable second-rounder as part of the deal.<\/p>\n The Hornets also took on another salary dump, this time acquiring three second-round picks from the Rockets for taking on Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>\u2019s contract. They also added veteran point guard Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/a> from Cleveland in a five-team deal that sent Tre Mann<\/a> to Washington.<\/p>\n The Ball trade was the most significant of the group, as the Wolves paid a steep price to land the former Rookie of the Year and one-time All-Star. Still, despite his injury history, I\u2019m sure it was difficult for the Hornets to deal away their best player.<\/p>\n Ball appeared in 72 regular season games in 2025\/26 and proved what he\u2019s capable of when he can stay on the court. His scoring average dipped to 20.1 points per game and he shot just 40.7% from the field, which was nearly a career low, but he cut down on his turnovers and played winning basketball, making everyone around him better.<\/p>\n The Hornets had a remarkable +9.1 net rating and a 123.2 offensive rating during Ball\u2019s time on the floor. Those marks would\u2019ve ranked second and first in the NBA, respectively, over the course of a full season, and represented a massive improvement over the +1.5 net rating and 110.6 offensive rating that Charlotte posted when the star point guard wasn\u2019t playing.<\/p>\n While Ball is under contract for three more years and is only 25 years old, Bridges is on an expiring deal and is entering his age-29 season. Minnesota certainly gave up more for Ball than Phoenix did for Bridges, but the Suns parting with an unprotected first-round pick and a couple of solid role players just to have to pay Bridges a potentially significant contract raised some eyebrows around the league.<\/p>\n Re-signing White in free agency became a top priority after agreeing to trade Ball and the Hornets came to terms with the North Carolina native on a three-year, $74MM deal. They added former Washington big man Hannes Steinbach<\/a> with the 14th pick and drafted ex-Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr.<\/a> with the 18th selection. Charlotte also signed Michael Ajayi<\/a> and Kylan Boswell<\/a> to two-way contracts after they went undrafted.<\/p>\n Up next<\/p>\n The Hornets are one of several teams facing a roster crunch this fall, with 16 players on guaranteed contracts and veteran wing Pat Connaughton<\/a> on a non-guaranteed deal. Barring additional trades, Finney-Smith and Connaughton appear most likely to be the odd men out.<\/p>\n Charlotte signaled by trading away its two longest-tenured players that the team is committed to building around a core headlined by former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller<\/a> and Rookie of the Year runner-up Kon Knueppel<\/a>, a pair of sharpshooting wings. Miller is up for a rookie scale extension this fall and is reportedly discussing<\/a> a new deal with the team.<\/p>\n Miller seems like a strong candidate to sign an extension ahead of the Oct. 19 deadline. I\u2019m curious to see what that contract might look like \u2014 I\u2019d expect it to land somewhere between the $31MM annually Ausar Thompson<\/a> received from Detroit and the $41.6MM per year Amen Thompson<\/a> got from Houston.<\/p>\n Forward Grant Williams<\/a> and center Moussa Diabate<\/a> are up for veteran contract extensions and could be candidates for new deals before the season begins. That said, they\u2019ll remain extension-eligible through June 30, 2027, and certain types of extensions would make them ineligible to be traded ahead of the February deadline.<\/p>\n The Hornets created a $40.8MM traded player exception \u2014 the largest TPE in NBA history \u2014 as part of the Ball trade and currently have $20.7MM in breathing room below the tax line and are about $28.8MM beneath their first-apron hard cap.<\/p>\n
\nAcquired Naz Reid<\/a>, the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo<\/a>, the Timberwolves\u2019 2033 first-round pick, the Timberwolves\u2019 2029 second-round pick, the Timberwolves\u2019 2032 second-round pick, the Timberwolves\u2019 2033 second-round pick, and first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030 from the Timberwolves and Mouhamadou Gueye<\/a> from the Bulls in a four-team trade in exchange for LaMelo Ball<\/a> (to Timberwolves) and Josh Green<\/a> (to Timberwolves).
\nAcquired Grayson Allen<\/a>, Royce O\u2019Neale<\/a>, and the Suns\u2019 2033 first-round pick from the Suns in exchange for Miles Bridges<\/a>, either the Hornets\u2019, Jazz\u2019s, Timberwolves\u2019 (top-five protected), or Cavaliers\u2019 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable), and either the Celtics\u2019 or Magic\u2019s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
\nAcquired Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/a> and cash ($4.35MM) from the Cavaliers in a five-team trade in exchange for Tre Mann<\/a> (to Wizards).<\/p>\n
\nHard-capped at first apron.
\nTeam salary: $179.7MM (tax); $180.2MM (apron).
\nBelow luxury tax line by $20.7MM; below hard cap by $28.8MM.
\nPartial non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($847K) available.
\nFour traded player exceptions available (largest worth $40.8MM).<\/p>\n