The summer of 2026 should be an interesting time for the Charlotte Hornets, as ESPN projects them to be one of at least 10 teams with significant cap space. Armed with a resource that contenders might not have, they could outbid such squads for coveted role players.
It's unclear how the 2025-26 campaign will turn out for the Hornets. However, it's safe to assume that they will try to look for roster reinforcements next offseason, especially if they progress in the standings as nicely as expected or if some of the current pieces don't work out as well as they hope.
There's a possibility that Charlotte will go hunting for stars in 2026, although it's more likely that the front office will instead seek complementary or connecting pieces to fill some of its roster holes. Of course, that's a tactic that other organizations that are already headlined by stars will be looking to do. Of course, other teams will employ a similar tactic. But with the current CBA making it difficult for franchises that are in the apron to add high-value free agents, the Hornets might have the upper hand against some of the competition in free agency.
Hornets could have interesting targets in 2026
A look at the list of possible free agents next summer shows that Charlotte could look to disrupt the market by aggressively pursuing some of them.
As mentioned, it is most probably not going to be in the play for the bigger names that could be in the pool, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Zach LaVine. Evidently, those stars do not fit with the Hornets' long-term outlook. More importantly, while they may be able to open a considerable amount of cap space, they might be better off looking for incremental improvements than seismic additions.
So, Charlotte should direct its attention to roster pieces who would help resolve its weak points.
For instance, its potential defensive shortcoming, particularly on the perimeter, could be addressed by wooing someone among Andrew Wiggins (player option for 2026-27), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (player option), Matisse Thybulle (unrestricted free agent), and Dyson Daniels (restricted FA). The Hornets could also upgrade the big man positions by going after the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, PJ Washington, and Robert Williams III, all of whom will be unrestricted free agents.
That obviously isn't an extensive list of options for Charlotte and other teams next year. The point of the discussion is that the Hornets could set themselves up to be financially attractive to the possible free agents that could have several suitors in the 2026 offseason.