Hornets continue to stockpile future assets by sending Miles Bridges to Suns

The Hornets are coming off a 44-38 season, but instead of building around Ball and Bridges, the proactive trades have given the front office flexibility to build around their two talented recent lottery picks.

Knueppel appeared in 81 games (80 starts) last season and averaged 18.5 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting, including 42.5 percent from three-point range, while finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. Miller is entering his fourth season and averaged 20.2 points per game in 2025-26, shooting a career-high 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Charlotte averaged 43.3 three-point field goal attempts per game last season, the second-most in the league, and head coach Charles Lee can double-down on that approach with O'Neale and Allen combining for 371 threes on 38 percent shooting a season ago.

The Hornets also maintained their flexibility from the Ball deal, which gave them a record $40.7M trade exception, per ESPN NBA front office analyst Bobby Marks.

Rumored to have shown interest in Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Charlotte could be able to put in a compelling offer if Boston decides to move him, either this offseason or before the 2027 trade deadline.

The Hornets are set up nicely to aggressively pursue any dissatisfied star, making them one of the more fascinating teams to watch moving forward. After years of being an afterthought, Charlotte is turning the page. As big as the Ball and Bridges trades are, the Hornets may not be done.