2026–27 Charlotte Hornets season

The 2026–27 Charlotte Hornets season will be the 37th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This will be the first time since the 2019–20 season that LaMelo Ball is not on the opening day roster, as he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 10. Miles Bridges was also traded to the Phoenix Suns on July 13, after seven seasons with the Hornets.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 14 PF Germany Washington 1 18 PG United States Texas Tech The Hornets entered the draft holding two first-round selections: their original lottery pick that landed 14th and the 18th pick originally owned by the Orlando Magic. The latter was acquired from the Phoenix Suns at the 2025 trade deadline alongside Jusuf Nurkić and was ultimately conveyed because it became the least favorable of the four picks originally owned by Orlando, Phoenix and two other teams as Orlando finished with the best record of the four in the 2025–26 season. Their 2026 second-round pick, originally traded to the New York Knicks in 2021, was used by the Sacramento Kings in the draft as a replacement to Charlotte's first-round picks from 2022 to 2025 that did not convey due to lottery protections as they consistently missed the playoffs.

Roster

Standings Division

Conference

Game log Preseason

| 1 | October 6 | Brooklyn

| Spectrum Center | –

| 2 | October 11 | Milwaukee

| Spectrum Center | –

| 3 | October 14 | @ Boston

| TD Garden | –

| 4 | October 16 | @ Memphis

| FedExForum | –

Regular season

| 1 | October 21 | @ Brooklyn

| Barclays Center | –

| 2 | October 23 | Atlanta

| Spectrum Center | –

| 3 | October 24 | Miami

| Spectrum Center | –

| 4 | October 26 | Washington

| Spectrum Center | –

| 5 | October 28 | @ Detroit

| Little Caesars Arena | –

| 6 | October 30 | @ Washington

| Capital One Arena | –

| 7 | October 31 | Philadelphia

| Spectrum Center | –

| 8 | November 2 | Detroit

| Spectrum Center | –

| 9 | November 4 | @ Brooklyn

| Barclays Center | –

| 10 | November 6 | Boston

| Spectrum Center | –

| 11 | November 9 | Cleveland

| Spectrum Center | –

| 12 | November 12 | @ Phoenix

| Mortgage Matchup Center | –

| 13 | November 15 | @ L.A. Clippers

| Intuit Dome | –

| 14 | November 17 | @ L.A. Lakers

| Crypto.com Arena | –

| 15 | November 20 | @ Atlanta

| State Farm Arena | –

| 16 | November 23 | Memphis

| Spectrum Center | –

| 17 | November 25 | Chicago

| Spectrum Center | –

| 18 | November 28 | Brooklyn

| Spectrum Center | –

| 19 | November 30 | Washington

| Spectrum Center | –

| 20 | December 2 | @ Boston

| TD Garden | –

| 21 | TBD | TBD

| TBD | –

| 22 | TBD | TBD

| TBD | –

| 23 | December 12 | @ Washington

| Capital One Arena | –

| 24 | December 14 | Toronto

| Spectrum Center | –

| 25 | December 16 | L.A. Clippers

| Spectrum Center | –

| 26 | December 18 | Oklahoma City

| Spectrum Center | –

| 27 | December 19 | Portland

| Spectrum Center | –

| 28 | December 21 | Philadelphia

| Spectrum Center | –

| 29 | December 23 | @ Orlando

| Kia Center | –

| 30 | December 26 | @ Atlanta

| State Farm Arena | –

| 31 | December 27 | @ Miami

| Kaseya Center | –

| 32 | December 29 | Orlando

| Spectrum Center | –

| 33 | December 31 | San Antonio

| Spectrum Center | –

| 34 | January 2 | Cleveland

| Spectrum Center | –

| 35 | January 3 | @ Milwaukee

| Fiserv Forum | –

| 36 | January 5 | Atlanta

| Spectrum Center | –

| 37 | January 7 | Denver

| Spectrum Center | –

| 38 | January 9 | @ Portland

| Moda Center | –

| 39 | January 10 | @ Sacramento

| Golden 1 Center | –

| 40 | January 13 | @ Golden State

| Chase Center | –

| 41 | January 14 | @ Utah

| Delta Center | –

| 42 | January 16 | @ Denver

| Ball Arena | –

| 43 | January 19 | @ Dallas

| American Airlines Center | –

| 44 | January 22 | Houston

| Spectrum Center | –

| 45 | January 23 | @ Boston

| TD Garden | –

| 46 | January 25 | Orlando

| Spectrum Center | –

| 47 | January 27 | @ San Antonio

| Frost Bank Center | –

| 48 | January 29 | @ Minnesota

| Target Center | –

| 49 | January 31 | L.A. Lakers

| Spectrum Center | –

| 50 | February 2 | @ Miami

| Kaseya Center | –

| 51 | February 4 | Boston

| Spectrum Center | –

| 52 | February 5 | Golden State

| Spectrum Center | –

| 53 | February 7 | @ Toronto

| Scotiabank Arena | –

| 54 | February 9 | @ New York

| Madison Square Garden | –

| 55 | February 11 | Milwaukee

| Spectrum Center | –

| 56 | February 13 | Dallas

| Spectrum Center | –

| 57 | February 15 | Minnesota

| Spectrum Center | –

| 58 | February 17 | Toronto

| 59 | February 25 | @ Orlando

| Kia Center | –

| 60 | February 26 | @ Houston

| Toyota Center | –

| 61 | February 28 | Sacramento

| Spectrum Center | –

| 62 | March 3 | @ Philadelphia

| Xfinity Mobile Arena | –

| 63 | March 6 | @ Chicago

| United Center | –

| 64 | March 8 | @ Indiana

| Gainbridge Fieldhouse | –

| 65 | March 10 | New Orleans

| Spectrum Center | –

| 66 | March 11 | Indiana

| Spectrum Center | –

| 67 | March 13 | Phoenix

| Spectrum Center | –

| 68 | March 16 | @ Oklahoma City

| Paycom Center | –

| 69 | March 18 | @ New Orleans

| Smoothie King Center | –

| 70 | March 20 | @ Detroit

| Little Caesars Arena | –

| 71 | March 22 | @ Memphis

| FedExForum | –

| 72 | March 24 | Detroit

| Spectrum Center | –

| 73 | March 26 | New York

| Spectrum Center | –

| 74 | March 28 | Utah

| Spectrum Center | –

| 75 | March 30 | Miami

| Spectrum Center | –

| 76 | April 1 | @ New York

| Madison Square Garden | –

| 77 | April 2 | @ Milwaukee

| Fiserv Forum | –

| 78 | April 4 | @ Cleveland

| Rocket Arena | –

| 79 | April 6 | Indiana

| Spectrum Center | –

| 80 | April 7 | @ Chicago

| United Center | –

| 81 | April 9 | Brooklyn

| Spectrum Center | –

| 82 | April 11 | @ Philadelphia

| Xfinity Mobile Arena | –

NBA Cup

East Group C

Transactions

Trades

Date Trade Ref. July 7, 2026To Charlotte Hornets Dorian Finney-Smith 2027 MEM second-round pick 2028 HOU second-round pick 2033 HOU second-round pickTo Houston Rockets Cash considerations July 10, 2026Four-team tradeTo Brooklyn Nets Julius Randle (from Minnesota) Draft rights to Joshua Jefferson (No. 28) (from Minnesota)To Charlotte Hornets Mouhamadou Gueye (from Chicago) Naz Reid (from Minnesota) Draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo (2022 No. 50) (from Minnesota) 2028 first-round pick swap rightCharlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's own pick. (from Minnesota) 2029 first-round pick swap rightCharlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's pick if it falls No. 1–5. (from Minnesota) 2029 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota) 2030 first-round pick swap rightThrough earlier trades, Minnesota will retain its own pick or receive the pick originally belonging to Dallas and San Antonio, if Minnesota's pick falls No. 2–30; Charlotte may swap its own pick for whichever pick Minnesota has afterward. (from Minnesota) 2032 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota) 2033 MIN first-round pick (from Minnesota) 2033 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota)To Chicago Bulls Nic Claxton (from Brooklyn)To Minnesota Timberwolves LaMelo Ball (from Charlotte) Josh Green (from Charlotte) Draft rights to Isaiah Evans (No. 33) (from Brooklyn) July 13, 2026To Charlotte Hornets Grayson Allen Royce O'Neale 2033 PHX first-round pick To Phoenix Suns Miles Bridges 2027 second-round pickThe less favorable of the picks originally belonging to Boston and Orlando. 2029 protected first-round pickThe least favorable of the picks originally belonging to Cleveland, Minnesota, and Utah. The Minnesota pick is only conveyable if No. 6–30; whether this protection also applies to the Cleveland and Utah picks is ambiguous. August 20, 2026Five-team trade To Charlotte Hornets Dennis Schröder (from Cleveland) Cash considerations (from Cleveland)To Cleveland Cavaliers Peyton Watson (sign-and-trade) (from Denver) Cam Whitmore (from Washington) Draft rights to Ismaël Kamagate (2022 No. 46) (from Los Angeles)To Denver Nuggets Julian Reese (two-way contract) (from Washington) 2031 CLE first-round pick (from Cleveland) 2032 SAC second-round pick (from Cleveland)To Los Angeles Clippers Max Strus (from Cleveland)To Washington Wizards Tre Mann (from Charlotte) 2027 second-round pick (from Los Angeles) Cash considerations (from Cleveland) September 22, 2026To Charlotte Hornets Buddy Hield Ryan Nembhard Cash considerationsTo Atlanta Hawks Dorian Finney-Smith September 27, 2026To Charlotte Hornets Rob DillinghamTo Chicago Bulls Buddy Hield Cash considerations

Free agency Re-signed Date Player Ref. July 6, 2026 Coby White

Additions Date Player Former Team Ref.

Subtractions Player Reason New Team Ref. Xavier Tillman Free agency Trabzonspor Mouhamadou Gueye Waived Valencia Basket Tosan Evbuomwan Free agency Barcelona

Notes

References

2026–27 Charlotte Hornets season

Bron en licentie