Hornets' Updated Salary Cap, Future NBA Draft Picks, Roster After Trading LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges

Despite posting their best record in a decade, the Charlotte Hornets leaned even more in a major reset Sunday.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported they're trading Miles Bridges, a first-round pick in 2029 and a 2027 second-rounder to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and a 2033 first-rounder.

This comes days after Charlotte sent franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package that included Naz Reid and draft capital.

ESPN's Bobby Marks shared what the Hornets' roster and payroll now looks like without Ball and Bridges.

General manager Jeff Peterson is amassing quite the treasure chest of draft picks as well. Here are all of the first-round selections that could wind up in Charlotte's hands:

• 2027: Own
• 2027: MIA (Protected 1-14)
• 2027: DAL (Protected 1-2)
• 2028: Own (Swap rights with MIN)
• 2029: Own (Swap rights with MIN)
• 2030: Own (Swap rights with MIN)
• 2031: Own
• 2032: Own
• 2033: Own
• 2033: MIN
• 2033: PHX

Some in Peterson's position would've looked to build on finishing one win short of the playoffs. Especially with how long the Hornets have been stuck in a malaise, they could easily have decided getting to the postseason was the top objective even if the roster is below a championship standard.

The front office is going in a different direction and adopting a much longer view.

Peterson (and presumably coach Charles Lee) saw this year's finish as a bit of a false dawn and wanted to hit the reset button. Charlotte is now working on a timeline that's centered around 23-year-old Brandon Miller and 20-year-old Kon Knueppel.

To say the Hornets are completely tanking wouldn't be accurate.

Miller and Knueppel are good building blocks and should continue to improve in 2026-27. Reid, O'Neale, Allen and Coby White are all proven veterans. And there's cap space Peterson can use to keep strengthening the supporting cast.

Still, the GM appears to be putting this squad together with the new draft lottery reforms in mind. Charlotte is settling into the middle ground where it won't be the worst team in the Eastern Conference and is unlikely to challenge for a top-six spot.

That's pretty much where a team wants to reside in order to have the best lottery odds.