Charlotte

Hornets

While there were some rumblings that Bridges could be had for the right price at the February trade deadline, the veteran forward remained in Charlotte. However, that may not be the case this summer, based on Fischer’s reporting. Bridges is going into the final year of his contract, with a $22.8 million cap hit. Regarding the draft, the Hornets currently hold two first-round picks, 14th and 18th overall. Would Bridges plus a pick be an approach for the team to take if they wanted to move up? That will be something to keep an eye on, especially with Charlotte also rumored to be seeking an upgrade at the center position.

After a 2025-26 season in which he won the NBA’s Hustle Award, Diabaté stands to be one of the biggest bargains in basketball next season. His contract for next season is worth just over $2.46 million, a low amount for a player who emerged as the Hornets’ starting center in 2025-26. A starter in 47 of the 73 games he played, Diabaté averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks in 26.0 minutes. If he holds onto the starting center role, with Ryan Kalkbrenner standing to be the main competition for that role, Diabaté can offer late-round value to managers targeting rebounds and blocks.

While the Hornets missed out on a playoff berth in Lee’s second season at the helm, the team was much-improved, especially after the calendar flipped to 2026. From January 3 onward, Charlotte went 33-15, finishing the regular season with a 44-38 record. Kon Knueppel finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, while multiple players made notable strides, including LaMelo Ball.

Miller is out indefinitely, but expected to make a full recovery. He hurt his shoulder early in the season, but managed to play 65 games while wearing a wrap on his shoulder most of the time. Miller led the Hornets with 20.2 points per game this season.

Miller shot the ball efficiently and had a great three-point shooting performance on Friday. However, he was responsible for five of Charlotte’s 16 turnovers, and was just one of several Hornets to find difficulty on the offensive end. A blowout loss ultimately limited Miller to 29 minutes in the season-ending loss. Nonetheless, he put together another solid fantasy season in Year 3. Perhaps a jump could come in his fourth season.

Bridges struggled with his three-point shot in the season-ending loss. However, his success inside the arc and at the charity stripe helped him finish as Charlotte’s second-leading scorer on the evening. Bridges didn’t contribute in many other areas, however, and a bad team performance prevented this contest from being competitive through the final horn. He ends his seventh NBA season with averages of 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. His fantasy production slipped this season, as did his overall numbers.

While Ball shot more efficiently from the field on Friday than he did in Wednesday’s win, the end result was a blowout, season-ending loss. He scored well from beyond the arc and concluded as the only Hornets player to reach the 20-point mark. Additionally, Ball was Charlotte’s only player with more than two assists. The sixth-year guard’s scoring numbers took a hit this year as his minutes decreased. Yet, he logged 72 regular-season games and proved he could stay healthy. Ball should be in line for a similarly productive 2026-27 season from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

Diabaté’s return supplies the Hornets with their starting center, one who brings energy and activity on the glass. He started 47 of 73 games for Charlotte during the regular season and posted 14 rebounds in the first Play-In Tournament win over the Heat. He’ll be on double-double watch vs. the Magic.

Diabaté, who finished Tuesday’s overtime win over the Heat with eight points, 14 rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in 36 minutes, is dealing with a sore left hip. If he’s unable to play on Friday, the Hornets would turn to Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams to fill the resulting void.

The foul has also been upgraded to a flagrant, but the main takeaway here is that LaMelo will be available for Friday’s play-in matchup with the Magic. That will be another win-or-go-home game for them, so having their star point guard serving a suspension would’ve put them at a massive disadvantage. That won’t be the case, which will give them a chance to return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.