Hornets News: Roster cuts, Bridges’ suitors, Former Swarm coach passes away

Only a few days are left until the Charlotte Hornets' media day, which will provide fans with more updates about what's going on with the team.

There is plenty of excitement among the Hornets faithful despite the coming season continuing to be another year of rebuilding for the franchise. The good news is that its foundational pieces appear to be set, as LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams have looked good in their limited time together.

It seems the roster around the core players for the 2024-25 season is coming together, although it likely won't be until training camp before it is finalized. In other news, Miles Bridges shared how his offseason went, and the Hornets had to sadly bid farewell to a former member of the organization.

Trimming the Hornets roster down

The previous weeks saw a flurry of player additions as Charlotte looked to bring in several players for training camp. However, recent reports have shown that the team has let go of two players, RaeQuan Battle and Joel Soriano.

Battle joined the Hornets' Summer League roster after going undrafted this offseason. He had a couple of decent showings but ended up not playing much. It's unclear what's next for the former West Virginia University swingman, although he could still be suiting up for Charlotte's G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

On the other hand, Soriano was one of four Exhibit 10 deal signees earlier this month. The young big man was a long shot to lock down a roster spot, especially since the Hornets already have several power forwards and centers at their disposal.

Competition for Miles Bridges' services

The 2024 offseason went by relatively quietly for Charlotte, and perhaps one of its most notable moves was re-upping its commitment to Miles Bridges with a three-year contract. The decision was met with some criticism. While the 26-year-old forward is undeniably talented with a basketball, his off-court controversies have not sat well with some fans.

Apparently, the Hornets could have probably let him walk if they wanted to. Bridges admitted recently in an interview with The Charlotte Observer (subscription required) that he had two suitors in free agency, namely the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

As it turned out, the 2018 first-round pick opted to stay "home" and build on what he has started in Charlotte.

Former Swarm coach passes away

The basketball world received some bad news on Thursday after it was announced that former player and coach Joe Wolf passed away. The towering figure played for the University of North Carolina, spending his freshman season with Michael Jordan before finishing four years in college and becoming a journeyman in the NBA. His stops included the Hornets in the 1994-95 campaign.

Wolf eventually embarked on a coach journey, starting in the amateur ranks before climbing his way to the NBA. He had a few stints as an assistant coach for a couple of franchises before landing the Swarm's head coaching spot for two seasons (2018-2020). The team offered a tribute on X (formerly Twitter).

The cause of his death has not been disclosed.