Charlotte Hornets 2025-26 Season Preview, Betting Odds

The Charlotte Hornets are standing in the corner of a room facing a wall with a Rubik's cube in their hand, attempting to figure out how to finish one side for years on end while the rest of the NBA parties around them. Most days you'll forget that they're even there, but you'll occasionally glance over from time to time to make sure they're still breathing. They simply exist in the basketball ecosystem, having consistently failed to give anyone a reason to be invested in their present and future.

This 2025-26 season preview will analyze all significant betting odds for the Hornets before they likely struggle to put together just their third winning season since transitioning over from the Bobcats in 2014.

(Betting odds will be updated up until the start of the regular season. Be sure to check in regularly for any changes to numbers and picks)

Charlotte Hornets 2025 NBA Draft

Selected Kon Knueppel (Duke) No. 4 overall
Selected Liam McNeeley (UConn) No. 29 overall
Selected Sion James (Duke) No. 33 overall
Selected Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) No. 34 overall

Charlotte Hornets 2025 Re-Signings

Tre Mann agrees to three-year, $24-million contract

Charlotte Hornets 2025 Additions

Pat Connaughton acquired via trade with Milwaukee Bucks
Spencer Dinwiddie agrees to one-year contract
Mason Plumlee agrees to one-year, $3.6-million contract
Collin Sexton acquired via trade with Utah Jazz

Charlotte Hornets 2025 Departures

Vasilije Micic traded to Milwaukee Bucks
Jusuf Nurkic traded to the Utah Jazz
Josh Okogie waived
Nick Smith Jr. waived
Mark Williams traded to Phoenix Suns

Charlotte Hornets 2026 NBA Championship, Eastern Conference, Southeast Division Betting Odds

Team	NBA Finals Odds	Eastern Conference Odds	Southeast Division Odds
Charlotte Hornets	+100000	+30000	+12500

Best Bet: N/A

Charlotte's reputation of being mediocre (at best) at drafting continues to haunt the franchise, with ghosts from the past like James Bouknight, Frank Kaminsky, and Noah Vonleh being too much for the likes of recent selections Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaun to overcome. Even 2025 first-rounder Kon Knueppel will have to deal with similar pessimism, simply because the Hornets have had far more misses than hits when it comes to maximizing first-round picks. That's why the team continues to flounder, because when the free-agency pool is dry and no one wants to sign on the dotted line, you're left building from the ground up with college prospects. Miller, in particular, at least looks like he could become a future All-Star after averaging 21 points per contest, but his sophomore campaign was derailed due to a torn ligament in his wrist which cost him all but 27 games.

LaMelo Ball, who is the closest thing Charlotte has to a superstar, has missed 169 games over his ongoing five-year career due to ankle and wrist injuries. The year in which he suited up for 75 out of a possible 82 appearances saw the Hornets go 43-39 in 2021-22, which was only good enough for the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, yet was still a sign of the growing potential of that group. Unfortunately, since that run, Ball hasn't been available for more than 47 games in a season, and Charlotte has a total record of 67-179 during that span, equating to a mere .272 winning percentage.

The depth chart these days is looking more like the land of misfit toys than anything, with Spencer Dinwiddie, Collin Sexton, Mason Plumlee, and Pat Connaughton now slotted in to provide a healthy (hopefully) Ball, Miller, and Miles Bridges some on-court support. The aforementioned acquisitions are good hands, but the only player likely to start is Plumlee after Mark Williams was sent to the Phoenix Suns because his initial deal to the Los Angeles Lakers fell through due of a failed physical. Assuming Ball will miss a ton of time again because that's all we've seen, the Hornets' ceiling is so dangerously low that finishing ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards but behind the rest of the field is all that's really expected of them.

Charlotte Hornets 2025-26 NBA Win Total, Make Playoffs Odds

Team	Win Total	OVER	UNDER	Odds To Make Playoffs
Charlotte Hornets	27.5	+104	-128	+880

Best Bet: UNDER 27.5 wins, -128

Three consecutive seasons of 27 victories or less would lead one to believe a fourth is in store here. The teams Charlotte is chasing have retooled at a much quicker pace, therefore leaving it in the dust.

With injuries always rearing their ugly head, one simply can't trust the Hornets' ability to keep the talent it does have available, so registering at least 28 wins won't be easy. In fact, without anything closely resembling a competent frontcourt, it feels damn near impossible.

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Charlotte Hornets 2025-26 NBA Awards Odds

Name	MVP	Rookie	Most Improved	Sixth Man	Clutch	Coach
LaMelo Ball	+40000				+8000
Kon Knueppel		+1800
Liam McNeeley		+25000
Brandon Miller			+5000
Collin Sexton				+7500
Tre Mann				+7500
Charles Lee						+6000

Best Bet: Kon Knueppel for NBA Rookie of the year, +1800

Individual accolades are few and far between for Hornets players, and while it's not going to stack up on anyone's hall-of-fame resume, Knueppel's Finals Most Valuable Player win following Charlotte's title in the Las Vegas Summer League was still reason to celebrate. The Blue Devils alumnus shined bright in Sin City with 21 points and five rebounds, although he only converted 8-of-21 from the field. Even so, it still demonstrated why the Hornets took a chance on Knueppel at pick No. 4 in front of Tre Johnson and Ace Bailey, as he has an underrated takeover ability on offense which wasn't always on display as the secondary option at Duke behind top pick Cooper Flagg.

This wager is still very much a long shot at 25-to-1, which is tied for the shortest odds for any Hornets player's future as of writing. This means five other rookies currently have stronger odds to become the latest recipient of the Wilt Chamberlain trophy, with Flagg heads and tails above the rest at minus money. Knueppel is projected to start alongside Ball and Miller at the two spot, which means shots will be flying but little defense will be played. Sprinkle whatever you like here if you dare, but Knueppel's actual chances will rely heavily on whether or not his teammates miss time and his immediate role can expand.