Which Charlotte Hornets would be protected in a potential NBA expansion draft?

The hottest topic in the non-trade deadline NBA rumor world is league expansion.

At a press conference in Vegas ahead of the NBA Cup Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, league commissioner Adam Silver said that a decision on expansion would be made at some point in 2026. Assuming the Association does add two teams (presumably in Seattle and Las Vegas), the Charlotte Hornets would feel some ripple effects.

First, their division would likely change, as the NBA would need to radically alter their conference and division structure if they add two teams on the western front. The Athletic's John Hollinger projects Charlotte to play in the 'Atlantic Division' with current division mates Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta.

Bye bye, Washington.

More importantly, though, a few members of the Hornets' roster would be up for grabs in an expansion draft.

The Hornets would be able to protect up to eight players that are on standard NBA contracts. In the hypothetical world that the expansion draft happens this summer (it won't), Charlotte has three players that would be ineligible to protect: Collin Sexton, Pat Connaughton, and Mason Plumlee; as those three are unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2026.

That would leave 12 players for Charlotte to choose from: LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, Josh Green, Grant Williams, Kon Knueppel, Tidjane Salaun, Tre Mann, Liam McNeeley, Moussa Diabate, Sion James, and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Here's how I would approach this hypothetical scenario if I was in Jeff Peterson's shoes.

No-brainer keeps

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Moussa Diabate, Sion James, and Ryan Kalkbrenner

Ball, despite the trade rumors that have plagued his 2025 campaign, is far too talented to leave unprotected in an expansion draft. Charlotte would never let a player of his ilk out of the door without receiving compensation in return.

The rest of the 'no-brainers' are all young, talented players with far-too-much upside and contractual control for Charlotte to essentially punt on this early. Looking at the league's potential available players as a whole, one of these Hornets would surely get picked in an expansion draft if left unprotected.

That leaves one player to choose from among this group...

Pick your poison

Miles Bridges, Josh Green, Tre Mann, Tidjane Salaun, and Grant Williams

I think that Tre Mann and Josh Green can be left out of the discussion here. The combination of their current roles, contractual situations, and overall standing in Charlotte's developmental pipeline should make them available for selection.

Same goes for Grant Williams. He's an important piece to Charlotte's present and future due to his off-court leadership acumen and local ties to the city, but basketball-wise, his future is shrouded with question marks due to the devastating knee injury he suffered last fall that has kept him off the court for over a full calendar year.

Which brings us to the question of Miles Bridges vs. Tidjane Salaun.

Personally, I lean Salaun in this debate, strictly because of how much the franchise has invested in him. Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee identified Tidjane as a long-term building block and a culture-driver ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft due to his tantalizing physical tools and dogged work ethic.

He hasn't delivered on that promise quite yet, but it would be difficult for the front office to leave him unprotected due to how much they have poured into his development to this point.

On the other hand, Bridges is the heart of the team.

Question his play style, efficiency, and defensive warts, those are all fair, but it is impossible to deny how much Bridges means to the Hornets. He's perpetually available, soaking up minutes and offensive possessions that insulate Charlotte's young players and allow them longer runways to develop in roles that match their skill sets.

On top of that, the majority of young players on the team has pegged Miles as a leading voice in the locker room, and if he leaves in an expansion draft, a leadership void (that could be replaced internally or externally), would be created in Charlotte.

However, for me, Tidjane's recent performances have been strong enough for me to gamble on his long-term development over Bridges' current production.

The pair of expansion teams can only draft one player from each current franchise, meaning all but one of Bridges, Green, Mann, and Williams, would return to Charlotte post-expansion draft.

Which eight would you protect? And, to follow that up, which Hornet do you think would be selected in this draft?

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Imagining what an Anthony Davis-Hornets trade would look like this winter

Should Hornets fans be concerned about Brandon Miller's shooting splits?

LaMelo Ball is nearing a return to the Hornets' lineup after two weeks on the shelf

Can Ryan Kalkbrenner be the Hornets’ answer at center or just a short-term stopgap?