Jeff Peterson Clearly States His Intentions to Re-Sign Coby White in Charlotte

It didn't take Coby White long to etch his name into Charlotte Hornets lore.

In his first postseason game as a member of his hometown team, White knocked down one of the most memorable shots in franchise history -- a fadeaway three-pointer from the corner that forced overtime in the Play-In Tournament against the Miami Heat. The Hornets went on to win the game, and they wouldn't have done so without White's heroics.

In 21 games with the Hornets, all off of the bench, White averaged 15.6 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 46/39/83 shooting splits. His impact off the pine flipped Charlotte's bench production on it's head, turning the group's offensive production from a clear minus to a net positive.

White's contract expires at the end of the league year, making him a free agent this summer...

But don't expect him to sign elsewhere.

At Jeff Peterson's end-of-year media availability, he was asked about the trade deadline acquisition of White and his pending free agency. "Like I said when we traded for Coby, we envisioned him as somebody who is going to be with the Hornets for a long time. He embodies what we're about. On the court, he's a really good player, but the human beind, his approach, his professionalism..."

White is clearly going to be the Hornets' number one priority when free agency opens up in July. Not only is he one of the best backup guards in the Association, the North Carolina native also represents a high-level insurance policy for the oft-injured LaMelo Ball.

Charlotte's starting point guard played a 72 games in 2025-26, the second-highest number in his career, and although Ball deserves the majority of the credit for how he transformed his body and off-court habits, the premium Jeff Peterson's team placed on the backup guard position allowed LaMelo to play a career-low in minutes which clearly helped him in terms of availability.

Re-signing White to a multi-year, $20M average annual value contract (three-years, $60M?) is a no-brainer for the Hornets. With Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Moussa Diabate all on team-friendly deals, now is the time for Peterson to get aggressive with the ancillary pieces around his stars.

This offseason is a big one for a Hornets franchise looking to make another leap up the Eastern Conference's hierarcy, and the main pillar of Peterson's plan to re-shape the roster looks to be the retention of White.

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