The Charlotte Hornets finally looked like a real team last season.
They went 44-38, made the Play-In, and finished with the eighth-best point differential in the league. Their offense jumped to fifth after ranking 29th the year before, and for the first time in a while, Charlotte looked like it had a core worth building around.
Then they traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.
That obviously changes the team’s ceiling, but I don’t think it automatically makes them bad.
Charlotte Hornets: Over/Under 38.5 wins
Over: -105 Under: -120 To win NBA
Championship: +10000 To win Eastern Conference: +3300 To win the Southeast Division: +750
FanDuel currently lists Charlotte at +10000 to win the title. The win total and conference/division prices are from FanDuel’s current futures board and are subject to change.
Last season: 44-38, ninth in the East, lost in the Play-In Tournament
Key additions: Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Dennis Schröder, Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson
Key losses: LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Josh Green, Tre Mann, Xavier Tillman
Charlotte sent LaMelo to Minnesota in a deal that brought back Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first, multiple first-round swaps, and several second-round picks. They also moved Bridges to Phoenix for Allen, O’Neale, and another 2033 first-round pick.
The case for the over
I think Charlotte will still be decent.
Losing LaMelo hurts. There is no way around that. He was still the guy who made the offense go, and Charlotte scored 12.6 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor last season. Coby White is not replacing that. He is a solid guard, but he is not the same level of passer or advantage creator.
What keeps me interested in the over is everything else.
Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are both really good young scorers, and they’re officially on the same team now. Miller averaged 20.2 points last season, while Knueppel averaged 18.5 as a rookie and already looks like one of the league’s better shooters.
The Hornets also got deeper. Naz Reid gives them a real frontcourt scorer and helps solve some of the size concerns they had last year. Steinbach gives them another young big. Allen and O’Neale add real wing depth, shooting, and playoff-level experience. Schröder gives them another guard who can keep the offense functional when White sits. That matters over 82 games.
I don’t think Charlotte is taking the next step into the top half of the East, but I also don’t think they need to. FanDuel is only asking them to get to 39 wins.
This is still a young team with a lot of players who will compete hard in the regular season. Charles Lee has done a good job with them; the roster is deeper at wing and center, and Miller, Knueppel, White, and Reid provide enough scoring to keep them competitive most nights. NBA.com also noted that Charlotte still projects as a competitive team even after the LaMelo trade.
I do not love the ceiling. I do like the floor enough to get to 39.
