3 Most Glaring Decisions the Charlotte Hornets Must Nail This Offseason

The Hornets have to get these decisions right to take the next step.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) and Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) look for the rebound | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For the first time in a long time, the Charlotte Hornets are in good shape. They don't have a super-high lottery pick. They don't have a massive crop of outgoing free agents. They don't have many major roster decisions to make.

That said, there are three decisions looming over the team right now. Make the right choices there, and the Hornets will surely ascend from a 44-win Play-In team. Make the wrong ones and Charlotte could end up stuck in the middle.

3. Miles Bridges' Future

Miles Bridges is now on an expiring contract. His role on the team might need to be removed, too. The Hornets did well with four shooters and a rebounding big, but their lack of size and physicality in the frontcourt was their undoing.

Bridges was the weak link of the starting five. In fact, the Hornets were better with him off the court in 2025-26 (-5.9 points). He is also undersized and not very physical, so he is the easiest place to change things and try to fix the biggest hole this team has.

The Hornets will have to decide if and when to trade him. They could hold onto him, see how the first half of 2026-27 materializes, and then flip him at the deadline. They could trade him in the summer as part of a big splash or just another asset acquisition. They could also, in theory, extend him, but that seems highly unlikely.

2. The NBA Draft

The Hornets have two picks in the NBA Draft, 14 and 18. 14 is a lottery pick, but the odds of moving up are minuscule, so expect that to stay the same. This is a deep class, so there's a good chance they can get two impactful players in this draft.

However, there aren't roster spots to go around like that, and picks in that range aren't really of the long-term developmental variety. They're play-sooner-than-later prospects, and the Hornets don't currently have a ton of available spots.

Let's assume they don't trade Bridges, and they do let Coby White walk (more on that below). That still leaves just one meaningful rotational spot available, and we have to assume Liam McNeeley and Tidjane Salaün will factor in. Two rookies are a tough sell, so they either have to trade up for a better prospect or move other pieces to make space.

1. Coby White's Free Agency

Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) gives an interview after the overtime win | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Even if they hadn't traded for him, Coby White would be high on the Hornets' big board in free agency. The guard seemed like a perfect fit, so his being available as a secondary guard for the Hornets would've been perfect. Because of the trade, we know it actually is perfect.

The problem is, he's been a starter for most of his career and has honestly earned the right to be paid like one. Even off the bench for Charlotte, he was excellent, and the Hornets do need some insurance for LaMelo Ball, even if he had his healthiest season in years last season.

The Hornets have money, and the trade allows them to re-sign him without really muddying things up because of his bird rights. The question is how much they are and should be willing to spend on him. Is it $30 million a year? Someone might go that high, and the Hornets have a tough but vital decision to make.

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