Hornets Expected to Waive Ryan Nembhard After Trade With Hawks

The Charlotte Hornets pulled off a trade with the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard, and cash in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith.

However, with the Hornets now having 18 players on the roster, they are expected to waive Nembhard.

Nembhard spent his rookie year with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three.

The 23-year-old is a solid player, but Charlotte needs to crunch the numbers on the roster, and they are clearly comfortable with their current point guard rotation, with Coby White as the starter and Dennis Schroder and Christian Anderson Jr. off the bench.

The Hornets traded away All-Star guard LaMelo Ball this offseason, retooling the roster and rotation. 

White will now step into a larger role as a starter after he played well in 21 games with Charlotte in the 2025-26 season, averaging 15.6 points, three rebounds, and three assists per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from deep.

Off the bench, Schroder will be one of the options for the Hornets after they acquired him in a trade this offseason. Schroder has proven he can be a solid backup point guard, as he averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in the 2025-26 season, shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from distance. 

Charlotte drafted Anderson with the 18th overall pick in the draft after he had a strong season at Texas Tech. He was a quality scorer and playmaker, averaging 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from downtown. 

With White, Schroder, and Anderson, the Hornets don't have room for Nembhard, and it makes sense to move on from him.

However, Nembhard may be able to find a roster spot quickly, as multiple teams are interested in signing him to a two-way contract, including the Denver Nuggets.

For Charlotte, after waiving Nembhard, they will still have 17 players on the roster, meaning they will have to waive two more players to get to 15. 

Pat Connaughton will likely be one of the cuts, but the last player will be a difficult decision for the front office to make. The Hornets have been active this offseason in changing up the roster, but they have a few more moves to make to finalize the roster for the 2026-27 season.