As harsh as it may sound, the Charlotte Hornets should already be looking ahead to the 2025-26 campaign, including the coming offseason. This season is already lost, and the best thing they can do is try to grab wins with the purpose of establishing the right culture.
As early as now, the front office and coaching staff should be evaluating which Hornets players are worth holding onto in the long run. It makes sense to continue building around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. However, the recent trade deadline proved that no one on the roster is truly untouchable.
Still, Charlotte should have an idea of which pieces can be useful regardless of who the core players will be. A couple of veterans have shown that they should be locks for roster spots next season.
Miles Bridges and Jusuf Nurkic should be on the Hornets next season
Re-signing Miles Bridges last summer resulted in plenty of backlash for the Hornets. For some folks, whatever he brought to the court just wasn't worth the baggage his off-court issues caused.
However, 53 games into the regular season, the forward has arguably been the team's second-best player. His offense continues to be as potent as ever, but his defense and leadership have been even more apparent. On the flip side, his age and contract might not make him a viable building block for the rebuilding Hornets. As a counter to that point, the squad needs a productive veteran willing to be accountable for his younger teammates, and Bridges looks like he's a good fit for that role.
Another vet who has started to prove deserving of staying in Buzz City is Jusuf Nurkic. It didn't take long for the trade-deadline acquisition to display his value to the Hornets.
The Bosnian big man has provided the squad with a center who doesn't need to be fed the ball inside to produce on offense.
After starting his career as a low-post bruiser, Nurkic has been able to extend his range beyond the arc. In addition, his facilitating skills have made him even more indispensable if Charlotte plans on continuing to run with score-first guards, such as Nick Smith Jr. and Tre Mann, off the bench. His skill set could also allow the team to have both him and Moussa Diabate on the floor together.
Nurkic, though, might turn out to be a defensive liability. But his potential contribution to the offense, in the locker room as a veteran leader, and as an expiring contract next year makes him a safe bet to remain a Hornet beyond this summer.