I Managed the Hornets' Offseason in NBA 2K26 and Here's How Things Went

Want to know how the important summer's going to go? We've got you covered.

Charlotte Hornets staff and cheerleaders react to the overtime win | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

It's the offseason, and there's no way to know how the Charlotte Hornets are going to handle everything. That is, unless I do it myself. NBA 2K26 has that option, so here's what happened in a truly eventful offseason.

NBA Draft

First up, the draft. The Hornets earned the 14th overall selection with their lone lottery pick. With it, I selected Yaxel Lendeborg, the forward from Michigan. He will add size to the frontcourt and some positional flexibility.

Then, with the second pick, we traded down with the Boston Celtics in the late-20s, adding a future first-round pick as well. The Hornets could've had Brayden Burries, who I like off the bench as a hybrid guard, but they went another direction.

With that pick, they selected UNC center Henri Veesaar. The more I look into him, the more I believe the Hornets should trade down for him. He defends well, shoots well, and stands seven feet. He has the size and shooting the Hornets need to keep Moussa Diabaté in the starting five.

Trades

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) is fouled by Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) during the second half | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Miles Bridges was unsurprisingly on the chopping block for both roster construction and financial purposes. I was able to flip him to the Brooklyn Nets for Noah Clowney (one year at $5.41 million) and a 2028 first-round pick (via Suns, swap best with 76ers).

Moving on from Josh Green made sense, too. The Detroit Pistons offered their own 2029 first-round pick and their own 2027 first-rounder, top-three protected. That's a no-brainer, even if it would probably never in a million years happen.

Even though Clowney is a good player the Hornets could develop, he is part of a logjam at power forward now with Lendeborg on the roster. So, I flipped him and two 2028 second-round picks for a 2029 first-round pick from the Chicago Bulls.

Tre Mann doesn't seem to have a place on the roster anymore. He was almost unplayable, so flipping him for anything is probably best. I managed to snag a 2029 second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets.

Free Agency

Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) acknowledges an assist | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Priority one was re-signing Coby White. Thanks to the trade, he was easier to afford even before the trades that freed up cap space. It is not likely to be this easy, but a three-year deal with a player option for $27.54 million got the job done. That's more apt to be his yearly salary in the real NBA, but I won't complain in the video game world.

You can never have enough shooting, so I snagged Luke Kennard on a one-year deal for $3.5 million with a team option. Bringing him home and adding elite shooting to the second unit is a big win here.

It is likely that some of Henri Veesaar, Yaxel Lendeborg, Liam McNeeley, and Tidjane Salaün will need some time in the G-League, so I also signed Harrison Barnes (one year, $3.82M) and Aaron Wiggins (one year, $3.02M) to alleviate that.

Other Transactions

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots the ball against the Miami Heat | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Of course, when presented with the option, I picked up the options of both Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaün (two-year option). Miller's a superstar in the making, and Salaün is up to a 77 OVR at 20 years old in this game. I will certainly take that.

Grant Williams is an extension candidate, so instead of trading him, I extended. He signed for two more years at the minimum, which is probably not realistic, but once again, I will take it. Williams is a fantastic bench piece.

Final Roster and Picks

Here's the roster on Opening Night with the overall ratings:

• LaMelo Ball - 89
• Brandon Miller - 88
• Kon Knueppel - 87
• Coby White - 81
• Moussa Diabaté - 79
• Ryan Kalkbrenner - 78
• Tidjane Salaün - 77
• Luke Kennard - 77
• Aaron Wiggins - 77
• Sion James - 76
• Grant Williams - 76
• Yaxel Lendeborg - 75
• Harrison Barnes - 75
• Liam McNeeley - 74
• Henri Veesaar - 71

Draft picks:

• 2027 first-round pick (Celtics)
• 2027 first-round pick
• 2027 first-round pick (Mavericks)
• 2027 first-round pick (Pistons, top-three protected)
• 2027 second-round pick (Celtics swap worst with Magic)
• 2027 second-round pick (Trail Blazers swap worst with Pelicans)
• 2028 first-round pick
• 2028 first-round pick (Suns swap best with 76ers)
• 2029 first-round pick
• 2029 first-round pick (Bulls)
• 2029 first-round pick (Cavaliers swap worst with Timberwolves)
• 2029 first-round pick (Pistons)
• 2029 second-round pick (Hawks swap best with Heat)
• 2029 second-round pick (Nets)
• 2029 second-round pick (Nuggets swap best with Hornets)
• 2030 first-round pick
• 2030 second-round pick
• 2031 first-round pick
• 2031 second-round pick

That's an incredible (and impossible) setup. For what it's worth, after doing all this, the simulated season resulted in an ironic 43-39 record. That was, however, good enough for the six seed. They beat the Orlando Magic in seven (coming back from 3-0) and lost to the New York Knicks in five.

LaMelo Ball won Clutch Player of the Year after a historic season of 32.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. He also shot 51.3%/40.5%/91%, which is honestly MVP-level. Naturally, he was first-team All-NBA. Yaxel Lendeborg made All-Rookie Second-Team.

None of it made a whole lot of sense, and somehow the Hornets regressed by one game but still made it further in the playoffs. See how easy it is to set things up? If only the NBA were a video game.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets