Who Actually Is a Part of the Charlotte Hornets’ Exciting Core?

The Charlotte Hornets had a good season. If nothing else, it was extremely valuable to finally see what this roster looks like when mostly healthy. To that end, it helped reveal who is and is not a part of the core and who will or will not be around for very long.

Hornets Core

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) shoots during the second half | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

PG LaMelo Ball
SG Kon Knueppel
SF Brandon Miller

The core currently consists of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel. Think of it like the Oklahoma City Thunder. Currently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren are all on max extensions. They will fill out the roster with picks, exceptions, and vet minimums.

In a couple of years, the Hornets will probably look just like that. Ball, Miller, and Knueppel will all be signed for years to come, and the rest of the roster will be a little bit of a revolving door with how the NBA's salary cap works.

These three are the most important Hornets on the roster, and they're the core. With everyone else, no matter how good they are, the Hornets can't bend over backwards to keep all of them at whatever cost.

Not Core, But Not Expendable

C Moussa Diabaté
PF Tidjane Salaün

These two big men are probably pretty important in the eyes of the Hornets' front office, but they're not part of the core. Moussa Diabaté is extremely valuable, but he also has some drawbacks that might force the Hornets to pivot.

Tidjane Salaün was always a long-term project. In year two, he made major strides, but he's still a work in progress. This regime drafted him knowing that, so they're not likely to give up on him just yet, although he isn't a true rotational player, either.

Not Totally Expendable, But Perhaps Not Long For Charlotte

Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) with the ball against the Boston Celtics | David Butler II-Imagn Images

C Ryan Kalkbrenner
SF Liam McNeeley
G Sion James

These three are in an interesting spot. Liam McNeeley spent a lot of time in the G-League, so he wasn't ready for NBA action. Both Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner were solid for second-round rookies.

However, given the way the roster is set up, it's difficult to envision them being longtime Hornets. None of them look like future stars or even future starters, and that's fine. They'll serve their purpose with Charlotte and then either move on or be re-signed for extremely low costs.

Expendable

PF Miles Bridges
SF Josh Green
PF Grant Williams

These three role players are pretty valuable, although Miles Bridges is ironically the least valuable. They all help the Hornets, though, so Charlotte probably likes having them on the roster. Fittingly, they are each on expiring contracts now, and it's possible a couple of them don't even make it to the end of them with the Hornets.

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