NBA Week One: 2025-26 Charlotte Hornets Snapshot, Salary-Cap Details

2025-26 Charlotte Hornets:
Opening-Week Snapshot & Salary Cap Details

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(Last updated Oct. 24, 2025)

Given that the Charlotte Hornets have the longest active playoff drought (nine consecutive seasons) in the entire National Basketball Association, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that they have started anew over the past couple of years in such a wide variety of ways.

The franchise’s majority owners, Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, purchased the team from Michael Jordan’s ownership group in August 2023. Long-time Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak moved into an advisory role the following February, about one month before Jeff Peterson (then just 35 years old), formerly of Atlanta and Brooklyn, officially took over as the executive vice president of basketball operations.

Charlotte head coach Charles Lee, a 40-year-old long-time NBA assistant (Atlanta, Milwaukee, Boston), officially replaced the fired Steve Clifford soon after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Under Clifford, the Hornets had posted the third-worst record (21-61) in the 30-team league.

Although Lee’s first season in the Queen City continued some very unpleasant themes — lots of injuries, another ugly record (19-63; third-worst in the league again), significant roster turnover — there are hopes for a healthier, more entertaining version of the Hornets this season.

When Charlotte got off on the right foot in its home opener on Tuesday, crushing Brooklyn 136-117, fans at the Spectrum Center saw nine different Hornets score in double figures: Brandon Miller (25), LaMelo Ball (20), Miles Bridges (18), Collin Sexton (15), Moussa Diabate (13), Tre Mann (12), Kon Knueppel (11), Ryan Kalkbrenner (10) and Tidjane Salaun (10).

Among those nine players were four of the franchise’s most recent lottery picks: Ball (third overall in 2020), Miller (second in 2023), Salaun (sixth in 2024) and Knueppel (fourth in 2025).

The Hornets selected Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1, 256-pound center from Creighton, as a second-rounder in June. He joined Ball, Duke’s Knueppel, Miller and Bridges in the starting lineup on opening night.

The new-look Hornets will play their first regular-season road game Saturday in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network).

Charlotte Hornets Salary Cap Summary

2025-26 NBA (Soft) Salary Cap: $154,647,000
2025-26 NBA Luxury Tax Level: $187,895,000
2025-26 Hornets Cap Allocations: $178,032,649

Player, Position, Age, 2025-26 Salary Cap Hit (Long-Term Status)

LaMelo Ball, G, 24, $37,958,760 (signed through 2028-29)
Miles Bridges, F, 27, $25,000,000 (signed through 2026-27)
Collin Sexton*, G, 27, $18,975,000 (signed through 2025-26)
Josh Green, G, 25, $13,666,667 (signed through 2026-27)
Grant Williams, F, 27, $13,645,500 (signed through 2026-27)
Brandon Miller, F, 23, $11,968,800 (team option in 2026-27)
Kon Knueppel*, F, 20, $10,015,680 (team options through 2028-29)
Pat Connaughton*, G, 33, $9,423,869 (signed through 2025-26)
Tre Mann, G, 24, $8,000,000 (team option in 2027-28)
Tidjane Salaun, F, 20, $7,863,240 (team options through 2027-28)
Liam McNeeley*, F, 20, $2,763,960 (team options through 2028-29)
Sion James*, F, 23, $2,296,274 (team option in 2028-29)
Ryan Kalkbrenner*, C, 24, $2,296,274 (team option in 2028-29)
Mason Plumlee*, C, 35, $2,296,274 (signed through 2025-26)
Moussa Diabite, F, 24, $2,270,735 (team option in 2026-27)
Drew Peterson*, F, 26, TBD (two-way contract; signed through 2025-26)
Antonio Reeves*, G, 25, TBD (two-way contract; signed through 2025-26)
KJ Simpson Jr., G, 23, TBD (two-way contract; signed through 2025-26)