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Hornets rumors: Charlotte targeting move LaMelo Ball will love
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- Hornets rumors: Charlotte targeting move LaMelo Ball will love
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The Charlotte Hornets are still rebuilding but looking to be active in the 2025 NBA free agency period. While still building around star point guard LaMelo Ball , the Hornets are reportedly looking to add another veteran ball handler in the offseason.
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While the Hornets do not have a ton of cap space, they plan to use the space they have on a veteran backup point guard , per NBA insider Jake Fischer on The Stein Line. Charlotte potentially has a void at the position with Tre Mann hitting unrestricted free agency once the window officially opens.
"In addition to teams like Sacramento, Dallas and the LA Clippers , whose needs at that position have been a daily talking point, league sources say Charlotte has been searching for veteran ball handlers to back up LaMelo Ball ," Fischer wrote.
The Hornets desperately need backcourt depth in the 2025-2026 season, as their current rotation has been constantly plagued by injuries. Ball, in particular, has not played more than 47 games since the 2021-2022 season.
Without re-signing Mann, the Hornets' current best bet is budding third-year guard Nick Smith Jr. Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, started 27 games in 2024-2025 and averaged a career-high 9.9 points and 2.4 assists per game.
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Chris Paul , Elfrid Payton , Russell Westbrook , Dennis Schroder and Tyus Jones headline the list of available options. However, as Fischer noted, the Hornets are not the only team that will be attacking the point guard market once free agency begins.
Hornets' ongoing injury issues
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
While the Hornets have not had much luck lately, health has become an increasingly concerning issue. Charlotte had just five players — Smith, Miles Bridges , Seth Curry , Josh Green , Moussa Diabate and Tidjane Salaun — who played more than 60 games in 2024-2025.
The Hornets' top three stars — Ball, Bridges and Brandon Miller — have all struggled with injuries since Miller joined the team in 2023. Ball and Miller, the team's two leading scorers, have played just 23 games together since the latter joined the roster two years ago.
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With injuries becoming a growing concern within the franchise, the Hornets have prioritized depth ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Charlotte took Duke guard Kon Knueppel with its first-round draft pick, while trading Mark Williams for Vasilije Micic and Liam McNeeley . Micic averaged 6.2 assists in 30 games with the Hornets in 2023-2024.
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Related: NBA rumors: Hornets' Collin Sexton trade comes after Chris Paul revelation
