Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets plan to hire Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Jeff Peterson to be the team's next head of basketball operations, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Peterson will replace GM Mitch Kupchak, who is moving to an advisory role.

It's a new era in Charlotte with governors Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin now in control of the team after their group bought a majority stake in the franchise from Michael Jordan for an approximate $3 billion valuation last August.

Now the 35-year-old Peterson, who is expected to reach a contractual agreement with the Hornets "soon," will guide the Hornets.

As for why Peterson got the job, Wojnarowski explained:

"Charlotte's ownership is convinced of Peterson's ability to be a long-term leader for the organization and deliver it the kind of player personnel acumen, relationships and deal-making ability with rival executives, player agents and players necessary to transform the Hornets into a formidable franchise."

Peterson has been the Nets' assistant GM since 2019, under Sean Marks. He also worked in the Atlanta Hawks organization from 2013-2019, rising from basketball operations coordinator to director of scouting to assistant GM.

He also played college basketball for Iowa, Arkansas and Florida State from 2007-2012, averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.8 APG.

Now he's tasked with overseeing a Hornets team that hasn't made the playoffs since the height of the Kemba Walker era in 2015-16. Charlotte does have talent to build around led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, but at 15-43, much work still needs to be done for this team to be competitive. That'll be Peterson's job now to get that done, but signs point to him being a well-qualified candidate capable of completing that mission.

The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly interested in multiple candidates as they search for a replacement for veteran executive Mitch Kupchak.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Jeff Peterson of the Brooklyn Nets, Trajan Langdon of the New Orleans Pelicans and Matt Lloyd of the Minnesota Timberwolves are "prime names to watch as the Hornets close in on a new lead executive to run their front office."

He also listed Austin Ainge of the Boston Celtics as a candidate.

Stein noted the Nets are interested in keeping Peterson and may offer him a new title and raise to be the top aide to general manager Sean Marks. It is an important time for Brooklyn, as it fired head coach Jacque Vaughn and will need to hire a new candidate as it attempts to build a contender for the foreseeable future.

Yet there is a connection in place for Charlotte, as Peterson was with the Atlanta Hawks at the same time as one of the Hornets' new co-governors, Rick Schnall.

He worked his way through various jobs with the Hawks from 2013 to 2019 as a scout, basketball operations coordinator, director of scouting and assistant general manager. He is currently the assistant general manager for the Nets.

Elsewhere, Langdon has been the general manager of the Pelicans since 2019 and also played three seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lloyd is the senior vice president for the Timberwolves and also held previous positions with the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls, while Ainge is the assistant general manager for the Celtics.

Ainge is the son of former Celtics player and current Utah Jazz executive Danny Ainge.

Whoever takes over the Hornets job will be facing a significant rebuilding job.

They are 15-43 on the season and haven't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 campaign. Their last playoff series victory came in 2002 when the franchise was the previous edition of the Hornets before they became the Charlotte Bobcats for 10 seasons.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller offer some promising building blocks on the roster, but the Hornets are a step behind the majority of the league and will need to add plenty of additional talent to become a true threat in the Eastern Conference down the line.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges had three criminal charges dropped on Tuesday.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, court documents showed that the Mecklenburg County Superior Court in North Carolina dropped criminal counts of violating a domestic violence protective order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property against Bridges due to "lack of sufficient evidence."

Bridges had a court date set for Feb. 20 due to an alleged violation of a protection order in October stemming from the domestic violence case that resulted in his arrest in June 2022.

Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps reported that prosecutors said in Tuesday's court filing that the victim, Bridges' former girlfriend, gave conflicting statements to police and later told them she was unsure how her vehicle was damaged in the October incident. The filing stated that "given the lack of sufficient evidence to overcome the inconsistency of these accounts, the state would not be successful at trial."

"The evidence was going to show Miles was innocent and we were going to win a trial," Bridges' attorney, Allen Brotherton, said. "Our local prosecutor has great integrity and people should appreciate the courage to do the right thing."

Bridges is serving three years of probation after pleading no contest in exchange for no jail time in November 2022. Per the Los Angeles district attorney's office, he must adhere to a 10-year protection order for the mother of his two children, weekly narcotics and marijuana testing, and restitution.

Bridges missed the entire 2022-23 season and was officially levied a 30-game suspension from the NBA, which caused him to miss the first 10 games of this season.

In 42 games this year, Bridges is averaging a career-high 21.6 points. Wojnarowski reported last week that the Hornets' goal is to re-sign him this summer.

LaMelo Ball often looks like a human racecar taking the ball up the court. Now he has the kicks to match.

Puma unveiled a collaboration with Porsche for the latest release of the Charlotte Hornets guard's signature shoe line with the company on Tuesday.

PUMA x PORSCHE unveiled their basketball collection today. Focused on the PUMA All-Pro Nitro and the LaMelo MB.03 basketball sneakers. Release date Feb. 17th - MB.03 $135 & All-Pro Nitro $140 (Collection also includes apparel.) pic.twitter.com/cBbay3eWxO

— TONY MUI (@MrTonyMui) February 13, 2024

The campaign also includes Porche-centric apparel that's set to be released this month ahead of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

More campaign images. pic.twitter.com/WUQbpxMaCo

— TONY MUI (@MrTonyMui) February 13, 2024

Ball has been the highest-profile endorser of Puma since the brand began expanding into the NBA shoe game. While injuries the last two seasons have limited Ball's time on the floor, he is an All-Star-caliber guard and one of the sport's most exciting passers when healthy.

Puma's campaign is inspired by the Porsche 911 Turbo, a luxury car that can hit a top speed of more than 200mph and comes with a hefty price tag regularly topping $200,000. The striking yellow and black design also incorporates "durability grip traction and breathable monomesh upper support for an ultra-lightweight feel" for players on the court.

Apparel offerings include hoodies, jackets, graphic tees, sweatpants and shorts, with prices starting at $45.

Mitch Kupchak is resigning as president of basketball operations for the Charlotte Hornets.

"Mitch's success as an NBA executive speaks for itself and we thank Mitch for all his work during his six years leading our basketball operations," co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said in Monday's announcement.

"His professionalism, integrity and commitment have been a major benefit to our franchise. We have built a strong relationship with Mitch during our time as owners. We are thrilled that he will remain with the franchise in an advisory capacity as his experience and knowledge of the NBA will be a valuable resource for our team as we move forward."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported there's already a projected shortlist for the vacancy:

Among several league executives expected to be considered in the process: New Orleans GM Trajan Langdon, Brooklyn assistant GM Jeff Peterson, Cleveland GM Mike Gansey, Philadelphia GM Elton Brand, and others, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/WckDSYBLBT

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 12, 2024

Wojnarowski provided more context: "There's an expectation that new owners [Schnall] and [Plotkin] will hire a new top basketball executive prior to the end of the regular season, which will allow Kupchak to remain in his day-to-day role until his successor is on board, sources said."

Kupchak's departure comes less than a week after the NBA trade deadline passed. He helped set the stage for a rebuild by dealing Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington shortly before the deadline, while Terry Rozier had been shipped out in January.

That's likely to help make Kupchak's old job a little more attractive. Charlotte will need multiple seasons for its transitional phase to bear fruit, but taking the reins now gives a new lead decision-maker a lot of flexibility with the roster and presumably plenty of patience from ownership.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are also two young stars who can form the bedrock for the next era. Ball is averaging 23.9 points and 8.0 assists, though his injury trouble is concerning. Miller is putting up 16.5 points per game and shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc, so far warranting his No. 2 pick status.

There's no question the current state of the franchise is a reflection of Kupchak and his biggest misfires.

Firing James Borrego after a 43-win season in 2021-22 and hiring Steve Clifford was puzzling at the time and hasn't aged any better. It probably didn't speak well for Charlotte that Kenny Atkinson, its first choice to replace Borrego, left the team at the altar.

Signing Hayward to a four-year, $120 million contract was another easily foreseeable mistake. The 2016-17 All-Star missed 93 games through his first three years before his trade to Oklahoma City.

Then there are the first-round draft picks that have come to nothing for the Hornets.

The Hornets took Kai Jones with the 19th pick in the 2021 draft, and he was waived in October, logging 67 appearances over two seasons. James Bouknight, the No. 11 pick in 2021, was just waived as well.

Whoever takes over for Kupchak will have a lot of work ahead. Starting with a clean slate for the most part is a challenge plenty of candidates will relish.

After the Charlotte Hornets retained forward Miles Bridges past the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, it sounds like the team intends to keep him around well beyond this year.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in the latest episode of The Woj Pod that the Hornets are hoping to sign Bridges to a new contract this offseason.

"I'm told that, we reported it last night, that he was very unlikely, they had decided to keep him and their goal is to re-sign him this summer," Wojnarowski said at the 24:40 mark.

Bridges' agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that Bridges informed Charlotte he would not approve any trades thanks to the trade veto power he has in his one-year, $8 million contract.

The decision allows the Hornets to maintain Bridges' Bird rights when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving them the option of re-signing him to a long-term deal or doing a sign-and-trade. However, it now appears they plan on keeping him around for the foreseeable future.

Wojnarowski noted that Charlotte "talked with a few teams" about Bridges prior to Thursday's deadline, but he called the 25-year-old a "complicated player to trade for." He has a court date scheduled for Feb. 20 stemming from an alleged violation of a protection order in the domestic violence case that caused him to miss the entire 2022-23 season.

In 39 games this year, Bridges is averaging a career-high 21.9 points. He recorded back-to-back 40-point games this week for the Hornets, who have a 10-40 record and have lost nine straight games.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is invoking what amounts to his no-trade clause, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst reported the 25-year-old "has decided he won't approve any trades" ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline. Because he signed the $7.9 million qualifying offer with Charlotte, he has the luxury of vetoing any trade.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Phoenix Suns "have been known to be chasing Bridges harder than any team in the league," with the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks also in the mix.

Any one of those three would've represented a better situation than that of the Hornets, who own the third-worst record (10-40) in the Eastern Conference.

It's in Bridges' interest to some degree to stick around, though. Stein noted he'd lose his Bird rights if he gets traded, and preserving those means the Hornets can exceed the salary cap to sign him. The same can be said for another franchise in a sign-and-trade situation.

An unrestricted free agent with non-Bird rights can only get up to 120 percent more than his previous salary as well when he's signing with a team over the cap.

Based on Stein's report, the Suns knew acquiring Bridges would be tough, so they won't be completely caught off guard by his intention to remain with the Hornets.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Phoenix has weighed the Brooklyn Nets' Royce O'Neale and Toronto Raptors' Otto Porter Jr. as trade candidates.

O'Neale is averaging 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Suns have offered forward Nassir Little and multiple second-round picks in return for the 30-year-old.

The asking price for Porter figures to be even lower considering he has logged just 15 appearances for Toronto. The 6'8" forward was an impactful role player for the Golden State Warriors in 2021-22 when they won an NBA title, but Phoenix would be taking a bit of a risk given how little he has done on the court since then.

Gordon Hayward will reportedly either be traded ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline or finish the rest of the season on the Charlotte Hornets.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the forward will not seek a buyout from the Hornets if they do not trade him.

Hayward is playing on the final season of his contract and hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 26 because of a calf injury. Yet he is someone who could provide scoring depth for a contender down the stretch if a rebuilding Charlotte team decides to move a different direction.

But it seems like such contenders will have to trade for him if that's what they want.

Hayward, who turns 34 in March, isn't quite the same player he was when he averaged 21.9 points per game as an All-Star in 2016-17 for the Utah Jazz, but he can still extend his game beyond the arc and put up solid numbers.

He is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from deep in 25 games this season.

He appears close to a return from injury as well and is someone who will surely be monitored ahead of the trade deadline.

After picking up a pair of big wins over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers extended their win streak to three games, beating the Charlotte Hornets 124-118 Monday night.

D'Angelo Russell, who has stepped up his production tremendously since the turn of the new year, had another big night, leading the Lakers in scoring with 28 points, adding six assist on the night. LeBron James had 26 and added to his highlight reel with a handful of dunks. Anthony Davis had a huge night, notching his third career triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.

The big performances led to a win over the Hornets, who were without star point guard LaMelo Ball.

LEBRON JAMES pic.twitter.com/wthjnOOISi

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 6, 2024

AD throws the full-court pass to LeBron for the slam!

Lakers-Hornets | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/uo6EcSuhHn pic.twitter.com/spESVPxP9K

— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2024

The third career triple-double, and 2nd of the season, for Anthony Davis comes after B2B assists to Christian Wood, which have LAL up 96-75.

He has 16 points, 10 boards and 10 assists in 29 minutes.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 6, 2024

Anthony Davis triple-doubles:

2 — Over the last 25 days
1 — Rest of his career combined https://t.co/1vepCzKjsH

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 6, 2024

AD tonight pic.twitter.com/CoZXO2KfW1

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) February 6, 2024

Lakers up 16 at halftime 🔥🔥🔥

D’Angelo: 22 PTS (3-7 3PM)
LeBron: 17 PTS (8-11 FG)

pic.twitter.com/a1Qs68eESe

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 6, 2024

DLO through 3 quarters:

25 Points
4 Assists
9/16 FG
4/8 3PT FG

🥶❄️🧬 pic.twitter.com/W9HnwCeLHM

— GoldenKnight (@GoldenKnightGFX) February 6, 2024

DLO cutting and finishing has been beautiful this game.

— Letting Go (@ProvideContext) February 6, 2024

Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves both have 11 assists this game.

Don’t remember the last time a pair of Lakers had 10+ assists in the same game.

— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) February 6, 2024

LEBRON-AD. SHOWTIME

— Lakers Hoops (@HoopLakers) February 6, 2024

if u would’ve told me anthony davis would be flirting w/ triple doubles off assists to start this season

i’d call u crazy

him being this good of a playmaker just unlocks so much for this game and this team

— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) February 6, 2024

I honestly have zero explanation as to how Anthony Davis went from an above-average passer to a guy that you simply cannot double because he’ll shred your defense with weakside skip passes

In literally 30 days

— LAbound (@LAbound2) February 6, 2024

AD has completely carried the Lakers in the 4th quarter

— Ritvik (@CantGuardRitvik) February 6, 2024

Not too mad about Charlotte coming back tonight.

Miller & Bridges were on insane heaters. Lakers couldn’t hit any open looks.

Most important thing is that they still found a way to win.

— Lakers Insiders (@LALInsiders) February 6, 2024

LAKERS WILL WIN 3 IN A ROWWWWW

— Lakers Hoops (@HoopLakers) February 6, 2024

The Lakers still have plenty of work to do to ensure they make it to the playoffs, but the three-game road win streak has been a positive sign. With the win, the Lakers improve to 27-25, marking the first time they've been two games over .500 since December.

Los Angeles will look to keep its win streak alive as it takes on a tough Denver Nuggets team on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets have not had "meaningful" trade talks recently about power forward PJ Washington, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

According to Fischer, the Clippers have shown interest in Washington, but serious talks of a trade have gone cold recently as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches.

"PJ Washington is another Hornets forward who's commanding inquiries from rival teams, with Dallas among the interested suitors, sources said," Fischer wrote. "Over this past weekend, the Clippers' purported pursuit of Washington became noted across the league. But according to various league personnel involved in these talks, Los Angeles has not had a meaningful conversation with Charlotte in quite some time about Washington. One source went so far as to describe that Clippers-Washington connection as 'bad info.'"

Several teams across the league could be looking to deal for Washington, as the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks have both shown interest in the fifth-year player.

This season, Washington is averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

With the Clippers' recent hot surge, they might not need to deal for Washington. Los Angeles has won 14 of 17 games since the turn of the new year and doesn't seem to be slowing down. On their current road trip, the Clippers have won five of six games, including a blowout win over the league-best Boston Celtics.

If the Clippers do decide to trade for Washington, the big man could give them some added defense in the paint. Los Angeles has a solid defense, with the 11th-best defensive rating in the league, but it never hurts to get some added insurance.

Washington's defense is what drew interest from the Mavericks, whose offensive power has been marred by bad defense. Dallas is on the cusp of the playoff picture in eighth place in the Western Conference, but getting some added defense from Washington could ensure the Mavericks stick around for the postseason.

A Clippers trade for Washington does not appear close at this point, but the big man has interest around the league and could be on the move before the end of the week.