The Charlotte Hornets' Forgotten Man: Liam McNeeley Faces a Pivotal Offseason Heading Into Year Two

Liam McNeeley has quickly become the Charlotte Hornets' forgotten man.

The centerpiece of the trade the sent Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns, McNeeley essentially got the chance to redshirt in his rookie season in the NBA. He received significant burn early in the season when Brandon Miller, Josh Green, and Grant Williams missed time rehabbing injuries, but McNeeley spent the majority of his first professional campaign in Greensboro with the Swarm, playing a key role in the franchise's first G-League championship.

When in Charlotte, McNeeley acquitted himself well.

He averaged 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game on 40/40/82 splits. The NBA sample size was small, but McNeeley showed exactly what was expected from him in limited action at the highest level. He shot the three ball well, he showed the connective tissue that Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson covet, and McNeeley offered a level of physicality and willingness as a driver (McNeeley was a 78th percentile foul drawer) that eluded other members of the Hornets' roster.

At the G-League level, McNeeley flashed more of the same.

He was tasked at driving the Swarm's offense as a primary ball handler, and he acquitted himself well, scoring 19.7 points per game at an efficient clip. It was encouraging to see him look so comfortable at the G-League level as not only a scorer, but as a defender, rebounder, and playmaker.

What can Hornets fans realistically expect from McNeeley in year two? Charlotte's offseason dealings will give us some clues as to how Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee plan to utilize the young, talented swingman.

Who do the Hornets draft?

There's no question that Charlotte needs to add some brawn with one (or both) of their top-18 picks. Some popular names linked to Charlotte like Yaxel Lendeborg, Karim Lopez, Morez Johnson Jr., Jayden Quaintance, and Hannes Steinbach would bring some much needed size to the Hornets' front court, and they wouldn't block McNeeley from playing time.

However, if the Hornets select a wing in the middle of the first round (think Cameron Carr or Dailyn Swain), McNeeley's seat will start to warm up. Right now, the second-year forward has a clear path to playing time if Peterson makes some moves on the fringes of the roster (more on that shortly). Outside of Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Sion James, the Hornets don't have much young talent who can play as a hybrid 2/3 like McNeeley can.

The drafting of a wing won't necessarily be a vote of no-confidence in McNeleey, but it wouldn't be the best thing for him either.

What happens with Josh Green?

Once Green returned to the lineup in mid-December, McNeeley's role in Charlotte evaporated, and he only played more than 20 minutes one time the rest of the season. If anyone is currently blocking McNeely's path to a spot in the Hornets' rotation, it is Green, who could be on the move this summer.

Josh Green is making $14M in 2026-27, the final year of his deal. That expiring money will be valuable on the trade market as a piece to match salaries if Charlotte goes star hunting. It will also be valuable to teams looking to clear their books of long-term money, and Charlotte could dangle Green's one-year deal as a way to continue to build up their pool of future assets because his heir apparent, Liam McNeeley, is waiting in the wings.

While Green was a highly impactful player in terms of on/off net rating differential (+10.7), it became increasingly clear throughout the season that Charles Lee and his staff preferred Sion James to him as the first option off the bench.

If Green's late-season utilization is a look-ahead at what is to come for the veteran guard, it wouldn't be shocking to see him in different threads come the fall, and the door for McNeeley to play a major role in 2026-27 would be wide open.

This is a pivotal offseason in the young career of Liam McNeeley, and Charlotte's summer business will tell us quite a bit about how they feel about him moving forward.

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