Hornets offseason recap and early-season preview: What's next after the LaMelo trade?

The Charlotte Hornets chose a new, young direction this summer by trading away LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three second-round picks and three first-round pick swaps. The message was clear despite last season's success with Ball: This is Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel's team for the foreseeable future. The Hornets also moved on from veteran forward Miles Bridges, while bringing in fellow vets Grayson Allen, Dennis Schroder, Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith to help guide the team's roster into its next era. Will the loss of Ball to be too much to overcome? Or is this roster ready to take the next step with Miller and Knueppel leading the way? ESPN's staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces -- one for every team -- rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We're answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more for all 30 teams. Quick links: Roster | Depth chart | Transactions More Hornets coverage | More NBA Offseason at a glance Key additions: F Naz Reid, G Grayson Allen, G Dennis Schroder, F Royce O'Neale, F Dorian Finney-Smith Key retentions: G Coby White Key subtractions: G LaMelo Ball, F Miles Bridges, G Josh Green, G Tre Mann After enjoying their best season in a decade, the Hornets sharply changed course with the surprising decision to trade Ball, their franchise guard, to the Timberwolves. Given that Ball was a borderline All-Star on a max contract, Charlotte opted for a "Moneyball" approach in hopes of avoiding the perpetual mediocrity that tripped up Trae Young's Atlanta Hawks in the recent past. With Ball and starting forward Miles Bridges moved in separate deals aimed at collecting future draft assets and improving its cap flexibility, Charlotte is now the only team that doesn't have a single player on the books for at least $25 million next season. -- Ben Golliver Zach Kram's offseason grade: A- The Hornets were the NBA's hottest team for a large swath of last season, with the league's best five-man lineup. But they weren't sold on that group's long-term potential. So they dealt 28-year-old Miles Bridges and 24-year-old LaMelo Ball to build up one of the league's largest stashes of draft picks and reorient around the younger duo of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Charlotte probably won't be as good next season because Ball's playmaking was so central to the team's success. But the Hornets doubled down on depth and shooting, and even their other moves -- from re-signing Coby White to trading for Dorian Finney-Smith and draft picks -- graded well. Charlotte took one step back to set up multiple steps forward down the line. -- Kram What we learned over the past few months From Ben Golliver's offseason lessons piece: Charlotte is dreaming bigger than LaMelo Ball. The Hornets ranked second in offensive efficiency and net rating after the All-Star break last season, and most young rosters with that body of work would get the chance to grow together. Instead, Charlotte's front office conducted a remarkably sober self-assessment and determined that Ball couldn't lead a championship contender. That's not really a controversial conclusion: Ball hasn't made the playoffs in his six-year career, and he's a borderline All-Star on a max rookie contract extension who faces enduring questions about his shot selection, defensive impact and ability to stay healthy. Rather than sticking with his thrilling style of play and hoping for incremental improvement, the Hornets shipped their franchise point guard to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and a boatload of draft assets. Hornets president Jeff Peterson said the trade was made because the organization's "goal isn't to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year." His high standards are commendable given that Charlotte hasn't reached the playoffs since 2016, though trading Ball risks plunging the franchise right back into the lottery after its best season in a decade. Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Coby White will lead Charlotte's next chapter, while Ball should get his first taste of the playoffs alongside Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. Who will win the divorce? And will the answer to that question look different in 2027 and 2030? -- Golliver The big question: Who picks up the scoring slack in Ball's absence? The timing of Charlotte's organizational pivot was highly unusual: The thrilling young core of Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel racked up 44 wins and finished as a top-five offense last season. Hornets coach Charles Lee will need to take a by-committee approach to replacing the freewheeling Ball, who averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists while posting a 32.0 usage rate. Obviously, Miller and Knueppel, a pair of high lottery picks with All-Star potential, are the top priorities of the post-Ball era. Supporting that duo will be White, a combo guard who re-signed on a three-year, $74 million contract, and the well-traveled Schroder, who will help with the offensive initiation. Lee's Hornets will likely be one of the NBA's highest-volume outside shooting teams again next season: Miller, Knueppel, White and Allen, who arrives from the Suns, each averaged more than six 3-point attempts last season. -- Golliver Basketball Power Index rank: No. 20 Here are the predicted Net Points per 100 possessions for the Hornets' top seven players for the 2026-27 season: If it were a year ago and someone told you that your team was Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Coby White, Moussa Diabate, Grayson Allen, how would you feel about that? Probably not good. This was a team whose starting lineup was the best in the league, though, but they broke up that golden lineup in losing LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges and the sum of these parts once again looks not good. -- Dean Oliver Read about how Net Points works here. Biggest X factor Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner The Hornets' center rotation will be fascinating this season. Every member of this trio offers unique strengths, from Steinbach's rebounding to Diabate's energy to Kalkbrenner's size. And they all deserve playing time: Steinbach was a lottery pick this year, while Diabate was a key figure on the Hornets' elite starting lineup last season and Kalkbrenner got off to a very strong start before injuries interrupted his rookie campaign. Coach Charles Lee should therefore have 48 minutes of center production every game this season. But whether he can figure out a way for two of his big men to play together to maximize their playing time -- with forward/center Naz Reid also joining the fold -- will be both an opportunity and a challenge as he deploys this group. -- Kram Fantasy insight from our expert Fantasy insight: Both Coby White and Naz Reid could be in for career seasons that make them fantasy sleepers. The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Reid was the primary player coming back, while White steps in for Ball as the starting point guard. In his last two full seasons with the Bulls, White averaged just under 20 points, five assists and three 3-pointers per game and he could be poised to surpass each of those marks as the full-time starter in Charlotte. Reid, meanwhile, is a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year who is poised to be a full-time starter and contributor for the first time in his career.-- Andre Snellings