Hornets Decline Tidjane Salaun’s 2027/28 Option

The decision to pass on Salaun’s option, worth $10,445,632, had been expected after the Hornets didn’t mention the former sixth overall pick when they announced on Sunday that they were picking up their options on Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley. Now it has been confirmed.

Charlotte has a relatively favorable cap sheet going forward and Salaun was the first played drafted by Jeff Peterson after he took over as the team’s head of basketball operations in 2024, so it wouldn’t have been a total shock if the front office had decided to pick up the forward’s option.

However, Salaun has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player at the NBA level. Entering Monday, the 6’10” Frenchman had appeared in 103 regular season games for the Hornets and posted averaged of 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per night, with a subpar shooting line of .392/.330/.694.

Following a DNP-CD in the Hornets’ regular season opener last month, Salaun has played in each of the club’s next seven games, but his role has been modest — Monday’s game was just the third in which he has logged more than 12 minutes.

As a result of the option decision, Salaun will now be on track for unrestricted free agency during the 2027 offseason. Assuming the 21-year-old plays out the rest of the season on his current contract, the Hornets – or his new team, if he’s traded before February’s deadline – will hold his Bird rights but will be prohibited from offering him a starting salary that exceeds the value of his declined option ($10.4MM). However, a rival suitor would be able to go higher.