This past season the Charlotte Hornets were one of the worst teams in the league, finished the season with a record of 27-55 (14th in the East). Even though the Hornets have never been known as a winning team they were without one of their best players. Hornets Forward Miles Bridges was not on the Hornets roster throughout the 2022-23 season as he was taking care of a legal issue. Fast forward to free agency, on July 7th Miles Bridges officially signed a 1-year, $7.9 million contract to return to Charlotte. The last time we saw Miles on the court he was playing some of the basketball of his young career. Averaging career highs across the board with 20 PPG, 7 RPG, & 4 APG. To me it was no surprise to see the Hornets digress as they were without Bridges. Now the Hornets and Bridges could not agree on a long-term deal but for Bridges to sign his qualifying offer shows he is ready to bet on himself and prove to the organization he can still ball and help the Hornets build up. Plus, he is back with his buddy LaMelo so we can definitely expect some flashy lobs in “Buzz City” this upcoming season. Keep in mind that Bridges will miss the first 10 games of the season due to his suspension. On April 14th the league announced that Miles Bridges will receive a 30-game suspension and has been credited for the 20 games he did not play this past season. Bridges plays his first game back on November 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks, game takes place at home in Charlotte.
Speaking of LaMelo, the Charlotte Hornets got the face of their franchise locked in for five more years. LaMelo signed a new 5-year, $205.9 million max contract extension this summer. The extension first kicks in to begin the 2024-25 season and keeps him under contract until 2029. This past season LaMelo Ball missed 46 games due to an ankle injury which kept him sidelined throughout many stretches of the season. However, this new contract extension sends a clear message that the Hornets are committed to building around their All-Star Guard.
As I stated earlier, the Hornets finished with one of the worst records in the league which means they had the chance to get a high lottery pick in this years’ draft. The Hornets landed the 2nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and selected Guard/Forward Brandon Miller from Alabama. There were definitely some mixed feelings between Hornets fans as they desired Guard Scott Henderson from G League Ignite, as he would be selected 3rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. Now in all fairness Brandon Miller has yet to play in a real NBA game but the small samples of his game during the California Classics and Las Vegas Summer League left a bad taste in some fans’ mouths. Miller played five games in both California and Las Vegas, averaging 15PPG, 7PPG, and 3APG. In California Miller shot the ball nicely, 47% from the field and 44% from 3 but once he got the Vegas it looked a bit ugly. In Vegas he shot 35% from the field and 26% from 3. He was also a fouling machine, averaging nearly 5 fouls in his 3 games in Vegas (stats via. Cbssports.com.) Now in Miller’s defense, this is just a small sample size, so we have a long season to go to evaluate the 2nd overall picks’ game.
An interesting but odd situation that isn’t getting much attention is PJ Washington. The Hornets Forward has yet to sign a new rookie contract extension and he is a Restricted Free Agent so the Hornets can match any offer Washington gets from another team. It’s quite odd to see that it is taking this long for both sides to agree on a contract extension but here we are. PJ Washington could sign a 1-year, $8.5 million qualifying offer and return to the Hornets, same contract situation as Miles Bridges. But that would sound insane as Washington has shown he can be a solid piece to this Hornets' young core.
The biggest change within the Hornets franchise is new ownership. Now former majority owner, Michael Jordan has sold his majority stakes after 13 years. While Jordan is known as one of the greatest players in NBA history and his shoe brand his resume as an owner is not as clean. Just a long list of terrible draft choices, bad signings, and many losing seasons. During his 13 year tenure the Hornets have only made the playoffs 3 times and won only 3 games in those appearances. The Hornets did not make it out the first round either. But now Jordan has sold his majority stakes, as he takes on a smaller role within the franchise, introducing the new Charlotte Hornets majority owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. The two gentlemen purchased the franchise's majority stakes for approximately $3 billion. Schnall and Plotkin have had their press conference introduction in front of Hornets media hoping to establish a new and winning chapter.
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