Brandon Miller’s new five-year, $209 million extension makes him the financial centerpiece in Charlotte. The next assignment is larger: turn a Hornets club that has spent a decade outside the playoffs into one that expects to play past the regular season.
Miller sets the postseason standard
Miller was honored Thursday at Spectrum Center after agreeing to the largest contract in Hornets history. The 23-year-old forward said the organization’s target is not merely another incremental step after last season’s improvement.
“The goal is the playoffs,” Miller said. “We want people to see us as a playoff team, win as many games as possible, and play to our identity. We understand what it will take.”
- Charlotte has not reached the postseason since 2015-16.
- The franchise has gone 24 seasons without winning a playoff series.
- The Hornets finished 44-38 last season, improving by 25 wins from the previous year.
- That progress ended with a play-in loss to the Orlando Magic.
The extension moves past the five-year, $203 million agreement LaMelo Ball signed with Charlotte three years earlier. Ball and Miles Bridges were moved during the offseason as executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson reshaped the roster around Miller.
Veteran additions change the locker room
Charlotte added Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and Dennis Schröder, bringing in a group with more postseason mileage around Miller. He sees that experience as a practical advantage for a team trying to close the gap between the play-in line and a secured playoff berth.
“These are players who have been where we’re trying to go,” Miller said. “Having those pieces gives us an advantage over time.”
The new group made an immediate contribution in Wednesday’s 110-103 opening-night win at Brooklyn. Reid posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to pace the Hornets.
A healthy Miller opens the season
Miller scored 18 points in his first game following the agreement, although the jumper did not cooperate. He went 3-for-14 from beyond the arc and managed one point after halftime against the Nets.
Charlotte is betting on the longer body of work. The No. 2 selection in the 2023 draft, taken behind Victor Wembanyama, appeared in 65 games last season while dealing with a shoulder issue. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, hitting 38.3% of his 3-point attempts.
He enters this season healthy, with both the contract and the roster making his leadership role more explicit.
Peterson puts responsibility with the franchise cornerstone
Peterson said getting Miller under contract before the season was among the organization’s foremost priorities. The front office views the deal as a long-range commitment to a player whose daily preparation earned trust inside the building.
“His work habits, competitiveness, determination and desire to keep improving matter to us,” Peterson said. “When he signed, I told him the work truly begins now. There is greater responsibility to improve, challenge himself, bring his teammates along and help this group reach its ceiling.”
For Miller, the extension is the endorsement. The playoff drought is the unfinished business.
