What Should the Charlotte Hornets' Number One Priority be in the 2026 Offseason?

It's been a little over two weeks since the Charlotte Hornets took down the Miami Heat in the first Play-In matchup. The Hornets would need to travel to Orlando next to take on the Magic, and a win over one of the NBA's more disappointing teams this season would send Charlotte to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

The Hornets had been one of the best teams in the NBA since the calendars changed, and looked to be this season's Indiana Pacers, or an unsuspecting team who could make a run to the NBA Finals. They were dominating almost every team they played, including teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.

It's now been two weeks since the 2025-26 Hornets last took the court together, and that disappointing Orlando team is on the verge of beating the one-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round.

Basketball is strange.

Despite the hope that the Hornets gave their fanbase this season, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson is still making sure that this Hornets rebuild is done right, not rushed.

"We’ll know when the time is right," Peterson said during his end-of-year interview. "We can’t skip steps. I’ve seen it too many times, and it ends up not going the way you think it goes in terms of trying to speed things up."

It's likely that after a strong, promising season, Peterson does make a move to help bring the Hornets out of the Play-In and into the playoffs. While that could happen, it should not be the number one priority for the team this offseason. There are needs, such as getting a true four, or wings that can play alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller who have the ability to drive to the rim.

The top priority for Peterson this offseason? Re-signing Coby White.

Each of Peterson's moves have corresponded with the idea to not rush the process of the Hornets' rebuild. His most recent move, trading for Coby White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, was arguably his best move to date.

"When we traded for Coby, we envisioned him as somebody who is going to be with the Hornets for a long time," Peterson said during his media availability. "He embodies what we're about. On the court, he’s a really good player, but the human being, his approach, his professionalism…he probably hit one of the biggest shots in Hornets history the other night, and it couldn’t have happened to a better human being. Just happy for him and what he’s been able to accomplish in this short amount of time.”

White is a North Carolina native, where he holds the record as the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina Basketball history, scoring 3,573 points at Greenfield School. He then went on to attend the University of North Carolina, where he was eventually selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

White had a strong season with the Hornets, where he primarily acted as the sixth man for the team. In 19.3 minutes per game, the former Tar Heel averaged 15.6 points, shooting 46.1% from the field and 39.1% from three. The team was 7.3 points/per 100 possessions better then their opponent with him on the floor, including 16.1 points better than their opponent with him on and LaMelo Ball off.

Bringing Coby back will, in all likelihood, be a necessity for Jeff Peterson. They were 15-6 with him, which is roughly a 59 win pace. With a starting five who put together historically dominant net-rating numbers (+25.1 in 509 minutes), and an elite sixth man, the Hornets can get back to the playoffs.

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