The Charlotte Hornets Absolutely Must Target Tobias Harris in Free Agency

The Charlotte Hornets don't have pressing needs this offseason. It feels like that has never been true, but it kind of is. They could certainly make some moves to get better, but running it back (with a new Coby White deal) would be far from a bad idea.

That said, strictly running it back and hoping for a full season of health and success from everyone is taking a risk. Is LaMelo Ball going to play 72 games again? Will Brandon Miller hit the 60-game mark? Will Kon Knueppel be as effective now that the league has a year of tape on him?

Some moves need to be made, but the Hornets don't need to reinvent the wheel here. They just need to make it a little better. One fairly simple way to do that is with a mid-tier free agency signing. Tobias Harris, as I have written a few times before, is the ideal target.

He's not going to break the bank. After signing Coby White (hopefully) and extending Brandon Miller (hopefully), there won't be an abundance of cash left. There should be plenty to spend $25 million or more on Harris.

Compare him with Miles Bridges, whom he would replace in the starting five in all likelihood. Bridges posted a 118.3 offensive rating, 114.8 defensive rating, 3.5 net rating, and 57% true shooting. Harris posted a 112.0 offensive rating, 107.0 defensive rating, 5.0 net rating, and 54.8% true shooting.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) passes the ball during the first half against the New York Knicks | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Hornets would sacrifice some offense, but with Miller, Ball, and Knueppel, they have enough of that. They'd get so much better defensively. Plus, Harris is a better rebounder (9.2% rebound percentage for Bridges compared to 10.8% for Harris).

He would also shoot a whole lot better in the Hornets' system. The Pistons have horrible spacing, and they shoot terribly from distance as a team. With the aforementioned trio in the lineup with the Hornets, Harris would have tons of open shots. His offense would get better.

Plus, the Hornets are on an identical track that the Pistons were. Detroit went from perennial lottery team with no luck to a playoff contender with 44 wins (literally, the Pistons made the playoffs at 44-38 in 2024-25, and the Hornets made the Play-In at 44-38 in 2025-26) to a title contender.

The Hornets are on the precipice of that next leap. The Pistons got better when they added a veteran like Harris ahead of the 2024-25 season when they made the playoffs. Charlotte would be adding him at a different stage, but the benefit would be the same.

Harris knows how to win. He's very experienced. Harris can defend at a high level. He's a little bit bigger than Bridges. He's much more physical, too, which the Hornets badly need.

The only thing standing in their way is the Pistons, who may want to re-sign him. They have a Jalen Duren extension to consider, but Harris would probably be more interested in re-upping with the East's top seed than jumping ship to the up-and-coming Hornets.

That could drive the price up, but it's such a perfect addition that the Hornets should do whatever they can to get Harris in the teal and purple next year.

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