The Charlotte Hornets are play-in tournament bound.
Yet, there are questions surrounding them as always.
In this latest mailbag, we answer reader queries about the Hornets’ chances for a lengthy stay during the NBA playoffs, what the current tournament picture looks like, Miles Bridges’ future and more.
NBA play-in tournament matchup
@david84685268 asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: Would the Hornets play away in the play-in tournament if the season ended today?
That is correct. Following Tuesday night’s win in Brooklyn against the Nets, the Hornets climbed into a virtual tie with the Miami Heat. But here’s the caveat: Charlotte’s Southeast Division rivals hold the tiebreaker, leaving the Hornets in 10th place heading into Wednesday night’s action.
As things stand before they throw the ball up in the air in Miami on Wednesday night when the Heat host the Boston Celtics, the Hornets would take on the Heat at Kaseya Center on April 15 and would have to beat the loser of the game between the No. 7 and 8 seed also on the road to advance to the full eight-team Eastern Conference field.
There’s still a week-plus remaining, so things can shift. But that’s where we are at the moment.
NBA playoffs spoiler
@ceeceelewis8 asks on X: What seed do you anticipate the Hornets will finish & how far will they go?
Much will depend on what happens this week. Over the next 7 days, the Hornets must take care of business against Indiana. And even Phoenix at home on Thursday to keep pace with Orlando and Miami and especially Philadelphia and Atlanta.
With consecutive road games in Minnesota and Boston upcoming, the Hornets will need somewhat of a cushion to be able to hang with the likes of the Magic and Heat during the season’s last week prior to the regular-season finale in New York against the Knicks on April 12.
If things remain on the current trajectory, it appears the Hornets are going to finish in the ninth or 10th spot. If that is the case and the Hornets face, say, Orlando, they have a good chance to get past that matchup. If the Hornets must get through the Heat in Miami, that’s where things could get tough.
The Hornets lost the season series to the Heat 3-1, and it’s not the most favorable of matchups. But if the Hornets can somehow win that second game, they’re as dangerous as any of the lower seeds in the conference without a doubt. Not cooling off too much between now and then will be imperative.
Retaining Coby White
Jakesheridan asks via Reddit: Do you see a realistic path toward signing Coby White while balancing contracts for Melo, Kon, Brandon and others?
Absolutely. You could see the plan of Jeff Peterson, president of basketball operations, when he made the move to acquire Coby White the day before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. And Peterson actually admitted as such in the aftermath.
Getting White on the Hornets’ salary sheet now provides Charlotte with a key ingredient in unrestricted free agency in a few months. The Hornets possess White’s Bird Rights, and it will be huge when putting together a competitive deal that White can’t turn down.
Most importantly, those rights allow the Hornets to go over the salary cap to retain White’s services, giving them an advantage over other potential suitors. Pair that with White wanting to hang around in his native state — remember, he was Mr. Basketball in the state in 2018 and played for Roy Williams in Chapel Hill at North Carolina — and there’s an extremely high probability White will be in Hornets’ garb in 2026-27.
Miles Bridges’ future
@ceeceelewis8 asks on X: Do you think the Hornets keep or move Miles Bridges in the offseason?
That depends on how far the Hornets go this postseason and what president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson has as his vision for the team’s starting power forward moving, well, forward beyond the 2026-27 campaign.
Bridges’ value will probably be higher closer to the All-Star break given he’ll be in the final season of the three-year, $75 million deal he signed in 2024. Expiring contracts are more sought after by teams leading into the trade deadline when executives are figuring out whether to clear cap space for the following summer.
By then, the Hornets will also have a better idea where they sit in the 2027 NBA playoffs race.
But with Peterson in control, as the Mark Williams trades showed a year ago, a move is never out of the question when reshaping the roster in an attempt to take that next leap. So if the right package falls into Peterson’s lap, rest assured he’ll pull the trigger on it.
