Oct 20, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; The Charlotte Hornets logo on the doors to the locker rooms prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Is now the time to spend? A look at how much cap space the Charlotte Hornets have

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 6, 2025 8:59 AM ET

The season is over for the Charlotte Hornets, which means they're firmly in offseason mode. The lottery is next week, and the draft after that, but free agency looms over it all. For the most part, aside from LaMelo Ball, no one on the roster is particularly expensive.

How much cap space does that leave them?

Per Spotrac, the Hornets have $26,835,486 in cap space this offseason. That ranks sixth among all NBA teams. They're behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons.

The Hornets do also have $14,879,597 in dead cap, but they're in pretty decent shape to make some splurge signings this offseason. Unfortunately, it's not the free agent class to do that. It's top-heavy, as James Harden and LeBron James headline it, but it's not very deep.

The Hornets aren't and shouldn't be considering signing James, Harden, Khris Middleton, or Julius Randle, and those are arguably the best names available. The class is shallow after that, so there are some role players who could be good additions, but Charlotte must be wary.

This is the situation they found themselves in with Gordon Hayward. The free agent class his year was pretty shallow, and there weren't many superstars. The Hornets wanted to make a splash because they had money at that time, so they spent on Hayward, and it backfired tremendously.

The same thing could happen this offseason if Jeff Peterson and the rest of the organization aren't patient. They might overspend on someone like John Collins, who won't move the needle as much as he will cost the team. It would be wiser to wait it out another year for a better class or make small signings similar to what the Pistons did last year.

The 2026 class, led by Trae Young, Luka Doncic, De'Aaron Fox, Jaren Jackson Jr., and others, is much deeper and would probably be better served with a splurge than this year. The Hornets do have money to work with, but that money might be better saved than spent.