Apr 13, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson (25) drives to the basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Playing devil's advocate: Why the Hornets' offseason may not be as strong as it appears

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 9:39 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets are getting near-universal praise for their 2025 offseason work. They, in the eyes of so many, nailed the draft, were solid with their low-level free agent signings, and made several excellent trades. It's arguably the best offseason for Charlotte in a very long time. Maybe ever.

What if it's not, though? There are a few issues that have possibly been overlooked. The Hornets did a good job, but they're still the team that historically makes horrible mistakes this time of year, and we really do have yet to truly see the product in action.

Why the Hornets' offseason might not age as well as we think

The Hornets' offseason was good, but to play devil's advocate, it has some major problems. The one everyone has understandably talked about is the major lack of a center. The three-man rotation of Moussa Diabate, Mason Plumlee, and Ryan Kalkbrenner might be the worst situation anyone in the NBA has down low.

A rotation of either Mark Williams or Jusuf Nurkic with Moussa Diabate backing them up would've been good, but the Hornets (rightfully so and for good returns) moved on from both Williams and Nurkic. Diabate is good, but is he 30+ minutes at a high level good?

Kalkbrenner remains a work in progress without as much of an offensive skill set. Plumlee is a nothing burger for depth and veteran leadership. It's an overall mess that could end up being just fine, but it could also plague the Hornets.

The other main issue is that, while the Hornets did improve their offense, that defense is still bad. In fact, the starting lineup's defense might get worse depending on who they name the starting center. Presumably, it'll be Plumlee since he's got the size Diabate doesn't and the experience Kalkbrenner doesn't.

That would mean the lineup is:

LaMelo Ball (pretty bad defender)
Kon Knueppel (could be an average to below-average defender)
Brandon Miller (bad defender)
Miles Bridges (bad defender)
Mason Plumlee (bad defender)

That's not a recipe for stopping anyone on that end of the court.

And for the most part, outside of Kalkbrenner, all the additions have been offensive players who won't do much on defense, like Collin Sexton, Plumlee, Liam McNeeley, Pat Connaughton, and Spencer Dinwiddie.

There's also the sheer size of the roster being problematic. They can't keep everyone they've added this offseason. While that's not the end of the world since they did get assets attached to most of them, it's unfortunate to have to move on from helpful, potentially good players.