Hornets Opening Night Roster Appears Set, Who Benefits From Release Of Veteran PG And Projected Rotation

The Charlotte Hornets roster appears to be set with the team releasing Spencer Dinwiddie today, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Hornets entered the preseason with 16 players on standard contracts, two fewer than during most of the offseason. However, they cut ties with DaQuan Jeffries and Nick Smith Jr. before training camp opened.

Dinwiddie’s release suggests that Pat Connaughton and Moussa Diabate will both make the Hornets’ 15-man roster. Connaughton, acquired in a trade from Milwaukkee this summer, was also thought to be in jeopardy of being on the chopping block as he was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career.

Connaughton, known chiefly for his defensive versatility and 3-point shooting, had been a reliable rotational player for much of his tenure in Milwaukee. The 32-year-old forward has played in three of the Hornets’ first four training camp contests. He has tallied six points and six boards in 8.8 minutes of action with shooting splits of 16.7/25.0 (2 of 8)/0.0.

Diabate was likely never in danger of not making the team despite his contract not being fully guaranteed. The 23-year-old Frenchman, who gets $250,000 of his contract guaranteed next week, showed some promise last year as the Hornets’ backup center. He had a fantastic 2025-26 preseason after producing a career year in 2024-25, averaging 5.7 points on 59.8% shooting and 6.2 boards in 18 minutes over 72 appearances, including eight starts.

Hornets 2025-26 Projected Depth Chart

As long as Charlotte doesn’t sign a player who was cut during training camp or make an unexpected trade, it appears that the Hornets’ 2025-26 roster is officially set. Charlotte (2-2) concludes the exhibition season in New York tonight, with Eric Dixon being the only player still in camp who is on a training camp contract.

Overall, Charlotte has 15 players on standard contracts with a salary cap hit of $175.7 million. While the Hornets are hard-capped at the first apron, they are $14.4 million below the tax threshold. Therefore, they could make another roster move before opening night without any financial ramifications; it is unlikely to occur.

If the Hornets were to make another roster move, it would likely revolve around their two-way spots. All three of their minor league slots are occupied, but they did sign Dixon — who had been on a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer — to an Exhibit 10 deal last week. KJ Simpson, Drew Peterson, and Antonio Reeves are the players who currently occupy those spots. However, none of that trio appears to be in real danger of losing their spot despite not seeing much time during the exhibition season.

Charlotte’s only injuries of concern heading into the regular season appear to be Josh Green and Grant Williams. Neither player will be ready for the regular season, and they don’t yet have a timetable for return.

“Josh Green and Grant Williams they’ve done extremely well with their rehab,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said at the beginning of the month. “We fully expect them to contribute to winning at some point this season. They do not have a definitive timeline on when they will return, but once we get closer to them integrating with the team from a live-play standpoint, we’ll make sure to update you guys.”

Starting Lineup

It doesn’t appear that Lee has a set lineup or perhaps rotation. What is known is that Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, and LeMelo Ball will be the focal point of the team.

Seven players have started this exhibition season for the Hornets. Bridges, Miller, and Ball have started all four contests. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kon Knueppel have been with the first unit twice apiece, while Tre Mann and Diabate have started once apiece.

Projected Starting Unit

PG: LaMelo Ball: The face of the franchise and the engine of the Hornets’ offense, as he is the team’s primary creator and initiator.

SG: Kon Knueppel: Known as a shooter with a high IQ, and has some defensive upside. He averages 11.1 points and 2.3 triples during the preseason.

SF: Brandon Miller: Team’s multi-positional lynchpin as he has improved as an on-ball creator and deadly as a spot-up shooter since being the No. 2 pick in 2023.

PF: Miles Bridges: When engaged, Bridges is the Hornets’ best two-way player. He is an outstanding rebounder and the team’s top interior scorer.

C:  Moussa Diabate: A high-energy, rim protector, and offensive rebounding machine.

Second Unit

6th: Collin Sexton: loves to get downhill and is very aggressive. Could be part of the Hornets’ closing unit along with Miller, Bridges, and Ball.

7th: Tre Mann: likes to play fast and is a solid secondary playmaker.

8th: Ryan Kalkbrenner: A defensive big with a developing offensive game. His best attributes are rebounding and rim protection.

9th: Tidjane Saluan: A high-energy, athletic, defensive-oriented forward who needs to show some semblance of offense if he plans on remaining in the league for years to come.

10th: Liam McNeeley: A 20-year-old wing will likely see about 10 minutes a game at least until Williams or Green gets healthy.

Extras

11th Mason Plumlee: A passing big man and positional defender who will likely see limited time this year. Due to his experience, he may be part of Lee’s closing units.

12th: Pat Connaughton: Connaughton is a steady wing defender and corner three specialist.

13th: Sion James: James is a rugged defender with a developing offensive game. He has seen just 10 minutes a game in three preseason appearances. He will likely spend time with the Greensboro Swarm of the G League.

Grant Williams: Out for an indefinite period.  Williams has a high motor and provides rebounding, defense, and 3-point shooting.

Josh Green: Out for an indefinite period. Green is an athletic, versatile defender who provides some perimeter shooting.

Deep Bench

15th KJ Simpson: Appeared in 36 games for the Hornets last year, though he is likely to log lots of minutes with Greensboro, at least in the early going. Of the trio of players on a two-year deal, Simpson projects to see the most time with the Hornets.

16th: Antonio Reeves: One of the best shooters in the Hornets organization. Reeves averaged 6.9 points and 1.2 threes, shooting 45.6/39.5/80.0, in 44 games with New Orleans last year. He could see time with the Hornets later in the season, though, like Simson and Peterson, will start the season in Greensboro.

17th: Drew Peterson: A skilled forward with 28 games of NBA experience. Peterson projects to be an emergency fill-in for the Hornets.

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