The Charlotte Hornets have had a fairly quiet offseason so far, making most of their roster moves at the February trade deadline, where they signed Tre Mann, Seth Curry, Grant Williams, Vasilije Micic and future draft picks. Over the summer, they signed Josh Green in the NBA’s first six-team trade, selected Tidjane Salaün and KJ Simpson in the draft and signed free agents Taj Gibson and Moussa Diabate.

David Aldridge of The Athletic recently ranked the Hornets 21st among all NBA teams this offseason.

“Charlotte has to operate on the edges. They won’t be the first choice among free agents and there isn’t enough talent on the roster to be first in line for big trades. So Peterson and his new front office have made small moves that will help raise the level, including signing the highly-rated Lee off the Celtics’ bench. Salaun seems high at No. 6, but a franchise like Charlotte needs to make big swings every now and then. You can judge for yourself whether it’s wise to bring Bridges back, but he and Brandon Miller are a solid forward duo. If Ball and Williams come back strong, the Bugs could have a nice comeback season.”

I agree that the decisions being made are not on par with other franchises, but I commend Jeff Peterson, the Hornets’ vice president of basketball operations, for not rushing the process. This team is not really in a position to compete for a playoff spot. He (Peterson) and new head coach Charles Lee need to be in it for a season to understand what this team really needs to move forward.

Also, I don’t think there’s much motivation to make the playoffs this year. If the Hornets don’t get a top 15 pick, their first-round pick in the 2025 draft will go to the San Antonio Spurs. If he goes in the lottery, the Spurs will get two second-round picks.

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