Charlotte Hornets Must Resolve Roster Crunch as Training Camp Nears

The Charlotte Hornets carry 18 players on standard contracts. Training camp opens in roughly two months. NBA teams may carry 15 players on standard contracts once the regular season begins, and Charlotte sits $26.8 million below the luxury tax line and $35.3 million below the first apron.

Three of the 18 contracts carry guarantee dates.

Mouhamadou Gueye came to Charlotte on June 25 in the four-team trade that sent LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round swaps, and three second-round picks. Valencia Basket announced on July 23 that it had signed Gueye through June 30, 2027. He remained under contract with the Hornets at the time of that announcement. Gueye is owed roughly $2.4 million on a non-guaranteed minimum deal. He played 47 games for the Windy City Bulls last season and averaged 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 29.2 minutes. All 11 of his NBA appearances came with Toronto in 2023-24.

Charlotte picked up Pat Connaughton's club option in June. The salary is $3,815,861 and guarantees January 10. Connaughton got into 42 games last season and averaged 7.1 minutes, putting up 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. He has played 11 NBA seasons. Connaughton arrived from Milwaukee in July 2025, was waived in February to clear a spot at the trade deadline, and re-signed with Charlotte days later. A waive-and-re-sign at the veteran minimum would carry a cap hit near $2.45 million and pay Connaughton about $3.88 million.

Moussa Diabaté's $2,461,462 salary guarantees for $250,000 on opening night and in full on January 10.

Dorian Finney-Smith joined the roster July 6. The Houston Rockets sent Finney-Smith and three second-round picks — Memphis' 2027, Houston's 2028, and Houston's 2033 — to Charlotte for cash considerations. Charlotte absorbed the contract into its non-taxpayer mid-level exception rather than the $40.8 million trade exception. Finney-Smith is owed $13.3 million in 2026-27. He played 37 games for Houston last season and averaged 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. He shot 33.3% from the field and 27% from 3-point range in 16.8 minutes a night. His career mark from deep across 10 seasons is 35.9%.

The trade exception came out of the Ball deal and is worth $40,770,520, the largest in league history. It runs one year from the date the trade was finalized. Charlotte has not used it.

Grant Williams is on an expiring $14,265,750 contract and becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027. Tre Mann is guaranteed $8 million with a club option for 2027-28 that Charlotte will decide on next June. Mann signed a three-year, $24 million contract in the summer of 2025 after Charlotte declined to tender him a qualifying offer.

Three club options come due October 31. Tidjane Salaun's is worth $10,445,633 for 2027-28, Kon Knueppel's is worth $11,017,560, and Liam McNeeley's is worth $3,040,320. Salaun went No. 6 in the 2024 draft and is guaranteed $8,237,880 this season.

Brandon Miller, Knueppel, Coby White, Reid, and Diabaté project as the starting five under Hornets coach Charles Lee. White re-signed on a three-year, $74 million deal in June. Reid carries a $23.2 million cap hit and is entering the second year of a five-year, $125 million contract. Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale arrived from Phoenix on June 26 in the Miles Bridges trade, which also sent the Suns' unprotected 2033 first-round pick to Charlotte. Allen is owed $18,125,000 and holds a player option for 2027-28. O'Neale's number is $10,875,000. Hannes Steinbach went No. 14 in the 2026 draft and signed a four-year, $24.98 million rookie scale contract. Christian Anderson Jr. went No. 18 and signed for four years and $20.61 million.

Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists last season. He shot 43.5% from the field and 38.3% from deep. Knueppel led the NBA in 3-pointers made and averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Allen played roughly 29 minutes a night in Phoenix and averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals. O'Neale made 212 3-pointers, 17th in the league, and averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

Charlotte started 4-14 through late November, ran off a nine-game winning streak between January and February, and finished 44-38. The Hornets took the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and lost their play-in game to Orlando. The franchise has not reached the playoffs since 2016.

President of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson has made three trades since June 25. Charlotte has to be at 15 standard contracts by opening night. Connaughton's salary guarantees January 10.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →