Charlotte Hornets

While Gordon Hayward's future in Charlotte is uncertain, a potential long-term solution is a real possibility.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the chances of a buyout of Hayward's contract is not a likely solution and that barring a trade at next week's deadline, the Hornets could potentially re-sign Hayward in the offseason

"I have, however, heard even more strongly since we last covered it that a buyout in Gordon Hayward's case should be regarded as unlikely in the extreme … even if Hayward is not traded this week," Stein wrote. "The Hornets, I'm told, have not ruled out trying to re-sign Hayward at season's end if no trade develops. A buyout would require Hayward to forfeit his Bird Rights, so it seems rather safe to rule that possibility out."

Hayward is set to hit unrestricted free agency following the 2023-24 season and could be a solid piece on a contending team. He is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 25 games in 2023-24.

He notably has not played since December after suffering a calf injury. The Hornets are also not a team that is close to contending, as it sits at 10-37 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.

While finding a trade partner would likely be a beneficial solution for Hayward and the Hornets, his injury woes and his $31.5 million cap hit do make that a difficult swing. A buyout could have allowed it to happen as well, but the obstacles appear to difficult to tackle.

Instead, Hayward could finish the season on the Hornets roster and could very well re-sign with the team and remain in Charlotte long-term.

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford didn't sugarcoat the reason for his team's struggles halfway through the season.

He said the Hornets are lacking talent, which leaves them with very little room for error in practice and games.

"One thing about the NBA player, if you want him to listen to you, you have to tell him the truth," Clifford told reporters. "So I tell them, they know there's little room for error. I also tell them the facts. Our problems aren't their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Our problem is that we're undertalented."

The Hornets sit in 13th place in the Eastern Conference at 10-36. Since the turn of the new year, they have won just three games and are on a five-game losing streak.

A big reason for the Hornets' struggles has been injuries. Star point guard LaMelo Ball has played just 22 games due to an ankle injury that kept him out for all of December. In the games he has played this year, Ball is putting up 23.9 points, 8.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

The answer to Charlotte's struggles could be in a potential trade. The Hornets dealt guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, but Lowry has not suited up for the team yet and it seems he could be on his way out in another trade.

Charlotte doesn't appear likely to snap its seven-season playoff drought this year, but if it can leverage some deals ahead of the trade deadline, the Hornets could rack up some valuable draft picks to continue building for the future.

In the meantime, Clifford will be looking for his team to push through, even if it is "undertalented."

After being traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Miami Heat, point guard Terry Rozier is relishing the opportunity to be with an organization that is known for its strong culture.

When asked about the differences between playing for the Hornets and the Heat, Rozier didn't mince words about his old team.

"It's the total opposite. In Charlotte, you're kinda used to losing. It's in the DNA, and it sucks to say that because of how much of a competitor I am," he told reporters. "But over here, it's the total opposite. Nobody wants to lose. Nobody is fine with it."

Rozier is still finding his footing in Miami, averaging 11.8 points in four games after averaging 23.2 points in 30 games with Charlotte. He had spent the last three and a half seasons with the Hornets while the team's playoff drought dating back to 2016 continued.

Despite his slow start with the Heat, Rozier said he enjoys being on a team that's hungry to chase an NBA title.

"I think it's no secret that everybody knows the differences between some organizations in the league, how well some people take winning, the culture of things. But this is the top," he said.

The Heat (24-23) will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak when they face the Sacramento Kings (27-18) on Wednesday.

Check out Vivid Seats for tickets to see the Heat and for all NBA games.

The Charlotte Hornets and Terry Rozier agreed to a four-year, $97 million maximum contract extension ahead of the 2021-22 season that was supposed to keep him in place through the 2025-26 campaign.

So much for that.

Charlotte traded the guard to the Miami Heat on Tuesday for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round draft pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Wojnarowski also noted the first-round pick includes protections.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium was the first to report the deal.

Wojnarowski reported the Hornets "have no immediate plans to work on a buyout with Lowry" and will look to move him in a future trade. Wojnarowski also noted the Hornets "aren't done dealing yet and plan to continue accumulating future assets" before the February 8 deadline.

In October 2022, Charania reported the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in Rozier as they looked at potential Russell Westbrook trades after missing the playoffs and play-in tournament in 2021-22 and getting off to a slow start in 2022-23.

Both guards stayed put at the time, although the Lakers ended up trading Westbrook in a move that brought them D'Angelo Russell, among others.

Rozier wasn't always in Charlotte. The Boston Celtics selected him with a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He played his first four seasons in Boston before the Hornets acquired him as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Kemba Walker to the Celtics ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Rozier was more of a secondary player in Boston but established himself as a go-to scorer in Charlotte. He posted 18.0 points per game in 2019-20, 20.4 in 2020-21 and 19.3 in 2021-22. He also tallied 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a night while shooting 37.4 percent from three-point range in 2021-22.

The Louisville product followed up with averages of 21.1 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 63 games in 2022-23 and 23.2 points, 6.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30 games in 2023-24.

Rozier is seemingly in the middle of his prime at 29, making this a noteworthy addition for the Heat.

While he isn't someone who is going to carry a team to a championship, the guard is a valuable scorer who can hit from the outside, facilitate as a passer, create off the dribble and take advantage of the space that figures to come with playing alongside Jimmy Butler.

If Rozier can do all that, this will be an important trade for Miami as it looks to solidify itself in the Eastern Conference. The Heat own a 24-19 record, good enough for sixth in the East.

Expect the Charlotte Hornets to be sellers ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.

According to Matt Moore of Action Network, Miles Bridges "is a popular trade target. Sacramento, Detroit, and Dallas are mentioned as teams who have shown interest." Moore also reported that "Terry Rozier's name has started to come up despite being signed through 2026. (His 25-26 season is not fully guaranteed but guaranteed for $24 million.)."

Bridges, 25, is averaging 20.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in his return to the court after sitting out the entire 2022-23. He pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge and was sentenced to three years of probation without jail time. He was also suspended 30 games by the NBA, with the first 20 games of that punishment coming last year before he was forced to miss the first 10 games this season.

Teams are always in the market for two-way wings, and Bridges fits that bill from an on-court perspective. But trading him also likely comes with a major PR hit given his off-court history.

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, Puma and Foot Locker teamed up to donate a new basketball court to the George E. Simmons YMCA in Charlotte.

Nick DePaula relayed the news:

Victor Deng of Complex pointed out some details.

"Fans of Ball's Puma MB sneaker line will instantly recognize the design of the court, as it's directly inspired by his Rick and Morty collab," Deng wrote.

"Additional details include Ball's signature logo at the baseline and Foot Locker branding at the midcourt."

Ball, who signed a shoe deal with Puma before he entered the NBA in 2020, is also part of Foot Locker's Heart of Sneakers platform.

The 22-year-old Ball has averaged a career-high 24.6 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds in his fourth NBA season.

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is available for trade and could be a possible candidate for a buyout, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

According to Fischer, Hayward's expiring contract makes him an option for a buyout if he is not traded.

"He's a wing player that is absolutely for the taking that I think — on an expiring contract — has more likelihood than ever to get moved," Fischer said on The Trade Deadline. "That being said, because of the expiring, a lot of teams are looking at Hayward as a buyout possibility."

Hayward, who is in the final year of a four-year, $120 million contract, is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his fourth season with the Hornets. His scoring has dropped off from his early days in Charlotte when he was putting up close to 20 points per game, but he's still provided the Hornets with a reliable scoring option.

The Hornets have struggled early this season, sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference at 8-28. Those struggles have been due in part to star point guard LaMelo Ball's absence as he missed more than a month of basketball with a sprained ankle. Now back on the court, Charlotte is looking for a mid-season surge.

Perhaps dealing Hayward could help the Hornets find a spark.

LaMelo Ball is set to return to the Hornets lineup Friday and he won't have to worry about any fines either.

The guard had previously been told to cover up a tattoo below his left ear due to it violating league rules against visible commercial logos. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Ball doesn't need to worry about that anymore as the league has decided not to fine him.

The tattoo in question displays the letters "LF" which is a reference to his middle name, which is LaFrance. This is also the name of his clothing brand, which is what violated the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

Wojnarowski reported in November that the league and Ball were looking for short-and-long-term solutions to the issue. Ball's defense is that the letters represent his middle name and the name of an uncle and that he has been using the initials long before they were representative of his clothing brand.

Ball has been out for seven weeks after suffering a sprained ankle Nov. 26. This injury occurred on the same ankle that he fractured in 2022 that ended his season early. He is averaging 24.7 points, 8.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 15 games this season.

He re-joins a Hornets team that has really struggled this season. The team currently sits at 8-27 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball is expected to return from his ankle injury for Friday's game against the San Antonio Spurs after missing more than a month of play, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski added that Ball participated in Friday morning's shootaround.

This comes after The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania noted on Thursday that Ball could potentially return on Friday after being listed as questionable.

Ball, who has been out since Nov. 26 with a sprained ankle, has been upgraded to questionable for the Hornets' matchup with the Spurs. Ball has played in just 15 games this season, averaging 24.7 points, 8.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, along with 1.4 steals per game.

The Hornets are desperate for a surge, and the potential return of their star point guard could be what they need. Charlotte is 8-27 this season, sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.

Ball was beginning to heat up right before his injury. In the four games before he sprained his ankle, Ball scored 37, 34, 36 and 34 points, respectively, and he'll be looking to continue where he left off when he returns.

In his absence, Terry Rozier has stepped up for Charlotte to try to match Ball's offensive production. Rozier is averaging 24.3 points and 7.0 assists per game. If Ball is able to make a return and continue his hot scoring, the combination of him and Rozier in the backcourt could bode well for the Hornets.

The Hornets need a boost as the halfway point in the season approaches. Charlotte currently ranks 26th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating. Getting Ball back on the court might not fix those percentages overnight, but his return could certainly help the Hornets make a push to try to get back in the playoff picture. They currently sit 6.5 games out of 10th place.

The last two seasons for Ball have been marred by injury, but he'll be looking to make up for lost time if he can get back on the floor on Friday as expected.

As the Charlotte Hornets navigate their way through another disappointing season, one of their options leading up to the trade deadline won't include moving LaMelo Ball.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets have "no intention" of trading Ball, who is considered "one of their building blocks" with rookie Brandon Miller.

Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, has shown promising signs during his rookie campaign. He's averaging 14.3 points on 36.8 percent three-point shooting in 30 appearances.

The Hornets have lost 13 of their last 14 games and own the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 8-26 overall.

One reason they are sitting near the bottom of the NBA standings is because Ball hasn't played since Nov. 26. He suffered a sprained ankle in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic.

Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer reported on Monday that Ball is "in the final phase of his rehabilitation" and could be back "relatively soon" after being a full participant in Sunday's practice.

Ball looked like he had taken his game to another level before suffering the injury. He was averaging a career-high 24.7 points on 38.8 percent three-point shooting with 8.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in 15 starts.

The Hornets aren't exactly loaded with talent right now, so the idea of trading a 22-year-old point guard who has already made an All-Star team wouldn't be good business. He also just signed a five-year max extension in July that ties him to the organization through 2028-29.

Terry Rozier is the best trade chip the Hornets have to play if they want to add future assets. He's signed through the 2024-25 season with a partial guarantee for 2026-27.

Ball's injury may have helped Rozier increase his trade value. The 29-year-old is averaging a career-high 24.3 points and 7.2 assists per game in 23 starts this season.

If the Hornets can get Ball and Miller on the court together for the second half of the season, they will be able to get a proper glimpse of what their future is going to look like.