Charlotte announced its four-game 2026-27 preseason slate Monday. Here are the dates, tip-off times, and opponents for every Hornets exhibition game.
The Charlotte Hornets announced their four-game preseason schedule on Monday.
Charlotte opens at home against Brooklyn and Milwaukee before closing the exhibition slate on the road in Boston and Memphis. Ten days separate the opener from the finale.
Last season ended 44-38 for the Hornets, ninth in the Eastern Conference and third in the Southeast Division. In the play-in tournament, Charlotte beat Miami in overtime in the opening round, then lost 121-90 in Orlando in the game for the No. 8 seed. The Hornets have missed the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons, the longest active drought in the NBA.
Through late November, Charlotte sat at 4-14. The Hornets won nine in a row between January and February, the longest winning streak of the franchise's current run. A win over Indiana on April 3 clinched the team's first winning season since 2021-22, and a play-in berth followed on April 10. The 44-38 finish was a 25-win improvement on the 19-63 record from 2024-25.
The roster that reports to training camp in the fall will look different. On June 25, Charlotte agreed to trade LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030, and second-round picks in 2029, 2032, and 2033.
Three days after the Ball agreement, Charlotte agreed to send Miles Bridges to Phoenix for Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and a 2033 first-round pick. Bridges averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 46% shooting across 77 games last season. He spent seven seasons in Charlotte after arriving as the No. 12 pick in the 2018 draft.
During the 2026 NBA Draft, the Hornets took Washington forward-center Hannes Steinbach with the No. 14 pick and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr. with the No. 18 pick. Steinbach averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists as a freshman at Washington while shooting 57.7% from the field and 34% from 3-point range. Charlotte held no second-round selection. The Hornets also re-signed Coby White and acquired Dorian Finney-Smith from Houston.
In 81 games as a rookie, Kon Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from 3-point range, and 86.3% from the free-throw line. The fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft made 273 3-pointers, a rookie record, and led the NBA in that category. Knueppel was named to the All-Rookie First Team and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Cooper Flagg. Brandon Miller appeared in 65 games.
Hornets coach Charles Lee enters his third season. Jeff Peterson remains the general manager, and Charlotte plays its home games at Spectrum Center.
The NBA has not released the full 2026-27 regular season schedule.
