Hornets Star Grant Williams Reacts to Losing 'Incredible' LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges

If you haven't heard, the Charlotte Hornets traded Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball. It was a huge surprise to see the Hornets offload two pieces of the NBA's best five-man unit from last season, so understandably, it's all anyone can talk about.

That includes players and coaches. Sion James called it a shock to the system. Kon Knueppel sympathized with fans while applauding the addition of "shooters out the wazoo." Charles Lee admitted it was tough.

Now, Grant Williams is speaking up. The Hornets forward is on an expiring deal like Josh Green and Bridges were, but he survived the onslaught of roster changes.

🎙️ Grant Williams: "Jeff (Peterson) did a phenomenal job in our trades of getting great shooting around our roster, and it should be a fun style of basketball to play."

"We have a completely new roster, which is part of the NBA. You gotta get used to playing with different guys.… pic.twitter.com/bbUi0S9s4u
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) July 12, 2026

"Jeff [Peterson] did a phenomenal job in our trades of getting great shooting around our roster, and it should be a fun style of basketball to play," Williams began, highlighting the ridiculous amount of three-point shooting the Ball and Bridges trade brought in.

At the end of the day, this is how the NBA is. Big trades happen all the time, and franchise icons end up wearing different uniforms. The Hornets are no strangers to this, even if it's been a while since someone of that stature was offloaded.

"We have a completely new roster, which is part of the NBA. You gotta get used to playing with different guys. We lost two incredible players in LaMelo [Ball] and Miles [Bridges], but we got really good rookies in Hannes [Steinbach] and Christian [Anderson] coming in, and we have a lot of expectations for Coby White and the guys coming up to really show up," Williams said.

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) and forward Miles Bridges (0) react to his three pointer | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Prior to the trades, there was excitement in the building after adding Steinbach and Anderson Jr. in the draft, with the expectation of re-signing White as well. The two trades soured that excitement for fans, but Williams believes there's still plenty to like on this roster.

Williams could just be angling for a contract extension. He has undoubtedly liked playing near his hometown for the Hornets, and he's been a pretty valuable bench player. But his contract ends, and whether or not he ends up on a different team like Ball and Bridges remains to be seen.

But in the meantime, he is looking forward to seeing what this new-look roster can do, even if it meant the sacrifice of two good players who helped the Hornets play a certain style of ball last season.

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