Brandon Miller Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Miller, Kalkbrenner, Connaughton, Bagley, Mosley

November 22nd, 2025 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Brandon Miller posted 21 points and three assists Saturday afternoon as he returned to the Hornets‘ lineup after missing four weeks with a partially dislocated left shoulder, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). Even though Charlotte dropped a 15-point decision to the Clippers to fall to 4-12, there’s a sense of relief in seeing Miller back on the court. Injury problems have limited him to 30 total games after an outstanding first season in which he finished third in the Rookie of the Year race.

Miller played a little more than 25 minutes today as coach Charles Lee plans to ease him back into a normal role. His court time might be limited as the Hornets play Sunday in Atlanta on the second game of a back-to-back and have four games over a seven-day stretch.

“Your first game back, I’m not going to try to push him to the brink as much as I probably would want to, but we want to be smart about it,” Lee said. “I think that we want to be intentional with how we ramp him back up. So hopefully we can keep him in a good controlled space, and then we’ll just kind of just go forward day after day. “How’s he responding? What’s the plan? For him, it’s a little bit different, obviously, coming back from not a lower leg extremity injury.”

Boone notes that Miller provided an early spark for the Hornets, scoring their first eight points, including a crowd-pleasing dunk to open the game. He wound up shooting 8-of-18, but was only 2-of-10 from three-point range.

“We’re all excited for Brandon to be back in the lineup for a lot of different reasons,” Lee said. “I think for myself, I’m really happy with how he handled himself during this process. … His whole process as he went through his rehab and his return-to play-program, he came in every day locked in and excited for an opportunity to keep trying to get better. He saw the progress he was making, which was really good. I’m happy for him to be back out there after kind of having to go through that journey again. I think it ultimately just made him stronger and better.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Lee had his preferred starting lineup together for the first time since the second game of the season, Boone adds, but the good fortune didn’t last long. Hornets‘ starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner (left ankle soreness) and reserve wing Pat Connaughton (right calf soreness) both left the game in the first half and didn’t return.
At age 26, Marvin Bagley III has become one of the veteran leaders on a young Wizards roster, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. During a team meeting last weekend, Bagley talked to his teammates about the obstacles he had to overcome and cautioned them that they shouldn’t get used to losing. “I was in a tough spot as a young player; 18 years old coming in (and) I didn’t really have the older vets to guide me,” Bagley said. “It kind of felt like I had to figure things out on the run, on the fly, by myself. That’s a hard spot to be in, especially in this league.”
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was able to conduct his post-game meeting with reporters after missing the second half of today’s contest due to illness, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Mosley said he was feeling light-headed and dizzy during the game and called the experience “scary.” He expects to coach Sunday at Boston, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). Mosley added that Paolo Banchero will miss his sixth straight game with a left groin strain, and it hasn’t been decided if Jalen Suggs will play on the second night of a back-to-back.

Hornets’ Brandon Miller To Return Saturday

November 21st, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, who has missed the past 13 games (and most of a 14th) with a partially dislocated left shoulder, is not on the Hornets‘ injury report (Twitter link) ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Clippers, which means he has been cleared to return to action.

Miller sustained a left shoulder subluxation in the second quarter of Charlotte’s second game of the season after a solid opener in which he recorded 25 points and seven assists. he made 74 appearances as a rookie, but was limited to just 27 games last season due a right wrist injury, which required surgery.

Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reported that the injury occurred when Miller slipped while trying to fight through a screen. The guard/forward resumed basketball activities on Monday and practiced with the Hornets’ G League club, the Greensboro Swarm.

Miller, who turns 23 years old on Saturday, holds career averages of 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists on .428/.364/.832 shooting splits over 103 NBA appearances (32.5 minutes per game). He’s considered an important part of Charlotte’s core and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2026 offseason.

Fifth-year guard Tre Mann, who has gotten off to a slow start this fall, exited Monday’s game with left ankle soreness and then missed Wednesday’s loss in Indiana. Mann is questionable to suit up tomorrow, per the Hornets.

After a 2-1 start, the Hornets have dropped 10 of their past 12 games. They’re currently 4-11, the No. 12 seed in the East.

Fischer: Hornets ‘Not Actively Looking To Move’ LaMelo Ball

November 20th, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported on Thursday that LaMelo Ball has become “increasingly frustrated” with the Hornets and is open being traded to a new team. Iko, citing league sources, also wrote that Charlotte’s front office had grown “disillusioned” with the star point guard and was open to a deal as well.

NBA insider Jake Fischer has heard differently. In his latest Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link), Fischer said he made several calls on Thursday regarding Ball’s situation with the Hornets, and while rival teams are “hoping” and “preparing” as though the 23-year-old may become available prior to the February 5 deadline, that is not currently the case.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Hornets are not actively looking to move LaMelo Ball any time soon,” Fischer reported.

Fischer went on to say that several key members of the organization — including Ball, coaches and front office executives — want to get a better idea of what the team looks like when Brandon Miller returns to action before making any type of drastic changes.

“LaMelo Ball is not asking out, to my understanding,” Fischer said. “And the Hornets are not actively looking to trade him by any stretch right now.”

According to Fischer, Ball isn’t the only former All-Star point guard that rival teams are monitoring: Ja Morant of the Grizzlies and Trae Young of the Hawks — both of whom are injured at the moment — fall into that category as well.

Fischer’s Stein Line colleague Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack story that the Hornets, Grizzlies and Hawks have each denied that they’re willing to listen to offers for their maximum-salary guards. Yet Stein also hears rival clubs are skeptical of that posturing and think that Ball, Morant and/or Young could indeed be on the market in the coming months.

Hornets Notes: Knueppel, Ball, Miller, Connaughton

November 17th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Kon Knueppel is a strong candidate in what has become a surprisingly competitive Rookie of the Year race, writes Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer (subscription required). Former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg was an overwhelming favorite for the award coming into the season, but Knueppel is leading all rookies in scoring (17.2 PPG) and made three-pointers (41). Knueppel is already such an important part of the Hornets‘ offense that coach Charles Lee is running plays for him to start off games, according to Boone.

“He comes in the building every day, whether it’s what he eats for his diet, whether it’s his vitamins. If it’s a film or it’s on-court work, everything’s just taken with a seriousness, a competitiveness, an obsession to want to get better,” Lee said. “And I think that’s why when he gets to the game, he’s so fearless. He understands he’s done all the work mentally, physically, emotionally. He’s so stable. Doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He’s just ready for every moment. So, really excited for his continued growth. But I love what I’ve seen from him in the early going so far.”

Knueppel’s approach to the game was on display Friday during his first NBA appearance in his hometown of Milwaukee. He posted a career-high 32 points and hit a late shot that sent the game into overtime. Knueppel wasn’t as sharp during Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma City, but Thunder coach Mark Daigneault still came away impressed.

“The shooting gravity obviously brings a different element in his screening,” Daigneault said. “You saw that (Friday) night against Milwaukee, and he’s just got a good offensive sense for the game. He finds space, he’s good in the screening game. He obviously can play with the ball in those situations, too.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

LaMelo Ball returned to the lineup on Friday after a five-game absence due to a right ankle impingement, but he was held out the next night as the Hornets plan to be careful with how they use him, Boone adds. Ball played 27 minutes against the Bucks, but didn’t go back into the game for overtime. “I think he responded really well to his minutes,” Lee said. “Our performance staff and player development group has done a good job of developing a plan that’s going to help maximize him. So, minutes going forward for a while, we have to be mindful of putting him in the best position to be available for as many games as possible.”
Brandon Miller has returned to basketball activity after being sidelined since October 25 with a left shoulder subluxation, the Hornets announced (via Twitter). Miller, who has only played in two games this season, has been assigned to practice with the G League affiliate in Greensboro.
Lee calls veteran Pat Connaughton “an All-Star of his role,” Boone states in a separate story. Charlotte traded for the 32-year-old swingman during the summer to provide a veteran presence on a young roster. He’s helping on the court as well, averaging 3.7 points in 9.4 minutes per night and shooting 37.5% from three-point range.

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Adebayo, Suggs, Miller

November 6th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

A two-alarm fire broke out early Thursday morning at the multi-million dollar home of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Milena Malaver, Carl Juste and David Neal of the Miami Herald report.

The Heat and Spoelstra returned on a chartered flight from Denver at 5 a.m. ET after the team completed a four-game road trip. That was approximately 25 minutes after firefighters were dispatched to his Miami-Dade home.

The home, which sits on a 43,000-square-foot lot, sold for $6.6MM in 2023. There were no reported injuries but firefighters battled the blaze for more than four hours at the five-bedroom home with a pool and tennis courts.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat are dealing with an injury to one of their key players. Bam Adebayo left Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets late in the first quarter with a left foot injury. He’ll undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We’ll figure it out,” Adebayo said. “Get more tests and then see how it goes.”
The Magic will play seven of their next nine games at home. They’re hoping to iron out their issues during that stretch after starting off the season with a 3-5 mark. “We’ve just got to play some better basketball, to be honest,” Jalen Suggs told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve got to withstand runs, withstand some adversity, get it flowing, find our groove, find our swag. All of it’s just a little off right now.”
Hornets forward Brandon Miller will miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury suffered during the second game of the season at Philadelphia. It apparently occurred while he was fighting through a screen. “Yeah, I really couldn’t tell you what happened,” Miller told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “But it’s just a subluxation on the left shoulder. No timeline right now. Just kind of working to get back, get the muscles around it stronger and just go from there.”

Brandon Miller Out At Least Two More Weeks With Shoulder Injury

November 3rd, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

After further evaluation, Brandon Miller‘s shoulder injury has been confirmed to be a shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation), the Hornets announced today in a press release.

According to the team, Miller will continue his rehabilitation program and will be reexamined in two weeks.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported last week that Miller was seeking a second opinion on his injured shoulder after initially being diagnosed with a shoulder subluxation on October 27.

While it’s unfortunate that the former No. 2 overall pick will continue to be sidelined, the good news is that — at least as of now — it doesn’t seem like he’ll need surgery to address the injury.

The 22-year-old guard/forward sustained the injury in Charlotte’s second game of the season after a solid opener in which he recorded 25 points and seven assists. Miller made 74 appearances as a rookie, but was limited to just 27 games last season due a right wrist injury, which required surgery.

The Hornets play six games over the next two weeks, and Miller will miss all of them. Charlotte is currently 3-4 after winning just 19 games in 2024/25.

Hornets Exercise 2026/27 Options On Miller, Salaun

October 31st, 2025 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have picked up their rookie scale team options on wing Brandon Miller and forward Tidjane Salaun, the team announced today in a press release.

The club’s decision to exercise Miller’s fourth-year option and Salaun’s third-year option ensures that both players are guaranteed to receive their full salaries for the 2026/27 season. Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, will make $15,104,626 in the final year of his rookie contract, while Salaun, 2024’s sixth overall pick, will earn $8,237,880.

Miller had a terrific rookie season for Charlotte in 2023/24, averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in 74 outings (68 starts) and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting behind star big men Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. However, he has been limited to just 29 appearances since then due to health issues, including wrist surgery last season. He’s currently sidelined as a result of a left shoulder subluxation.

Salaun didn’t make the same sort of impact as Miller in his own rookie season in 2024/25, posting an underwhelming shooting line of .330/.283/.713 in 60 games and averaging just 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old Frenchman has played 13.8 minutes per night off the bench so far this fall, but the Hornets remain confident enough in his longer-term outlook to lock in his $8.2MM salary for next season.

While Miller will become eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2026, Charlotte will have to make one more decision on Salaun’s rookie contract, either exercising or declining his 2027/28 option (worth about $10.45MM) next fall.

Southeast Notes: Young, Magic, Miller, Hornets, Heat

October 28th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks opted not to pursue contract extensions with stars Trae Young or Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the 2025/26 season, deciding instead to assess the fit of the roster in the coming months before determining whether to commit long-term to their current core. Although Young admitted late last month that he was a little disappointed about entering training camp without a new deal in place, he told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN he’s not stressing about the situation.

“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young said. “As much as I wish it was, it’s not all in my hands and I can’t control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats … I understand what winning can do. If certain things don’t go my way as far as injuries, health and stuff that I can’t control, that may be the man above telling me there’s another plan for me. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, (head coach) Quin (Snyder) included, get taken care of and succeed.”

The Hawks have dealt with some health issues to open the season, but had three starters back in the lineup on Monday, as Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain), Porzingis (flu-like symptoms), and Zaccharie Risacher (right ankle sprain) all returned from brief absences. It wasn’t enough to beat the Bulls though, as Atlanta fell 128-123 to drop to 1-3 in the first week of the season.

Still, Young expressed to Youngmisuk that he’s bullish about the amount of talent on the Hawks’ new-look roster, as well as the opportunity to play alongside a big man like Porzingis.

“I haven’t had a guy like him in the NBA,” Young said. “So I think you’ll be able to really see what different things that I can do with a guy that can pick and pop and spread the defense, spread the five man out to 30 feet. I think you’ll be able to see a lot of different things that I haven’t been able to show in the past, too. Hopefully this year I get a lot more catch-and-shoot shots, something that a lot people don’t think I can do.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Atlanta isn’t the only Southeast team off to a slow start after upgrading its roster this offseason. The Magic lost a third straight game on Monday, prompting Josh Robbins of The Athletic and Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) to explore whether the club will be able to play the uptempo style of offense it wants to while maintaining its defensive identity. “I think you can do both,” Magic guard Jalen Suggs said. “… A lot of what we’re talking about and trying to put emphasis on is getting out, playing fast, getting good looks, crashing (the offensive boards) … It just takes being very detailed and a concerted effort to then get back on defense after all that and sit down and get stops.”
Hornets forward Brandon Miller is seeking a second opinion on his injured shoulder, NBA insider Chris Haynes said during an appearance on The Association on NBA TV (Twitter video link). Miller’s injury – a left shoulder subluxation – is one that can be treated either surgically or non-surgically depending on the severity, so he and the Hornets are likely weighing all his options as they consider the best path forward for the former No. 2 overall pick.
Exploring whether the Heat have a case for compensation after not being informed of an NBA investigation into Terry Rozier before they acquired him from the Hornets in January 2024, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald speaks to ESPN’s Bobby Marks about what Marks calls an “unprecedented situation.” The Hornets haven’t said one way or another whether they knew about the investigation into unusual betting related to Rozier when they made the deal. “It’s a gray area that I think the league is going to have to look long and hard at,” Marks told Chiang. “When players are being investigated and are part of trade discussions, do they have the authority and morality to disclose that information? Because on the other end, legal will say, ‘Well, wait a minute. If we disclose it and the guy is not guilty, then we’ve just harmed the trade.'” Marks added that the Heat are “highly unlikely” to recoup the first-round pick they gave up for Rozier.

Hornets’ Brandon Miller Diagnosed With Shoulder Subluxation

October 27th, 2025 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets wing Brandon Miller has been diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation — a partially dislocated shoulder — the team announced on Monday (via Twitter).

According to the Hornets, Miller will be sidelined for Tuesday’s game in Miami and will be reexamined when the team returns to Charlotte. The Hornets’ next home game is Thursday vs. Orlando — another update could come before that contest.

Miller sustained the shoulder injury in the second quarter of Saturday’s loss in Philadelphia. Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer hears the injury occurred when Miller slipped while trying to fight through a screen.

The 22-year-old also missed Sunday’s game in Washington, which was the second of a back-to-back. Tuesday’s contest will be his second straight absence.

As of a few years ago, the average time missed for in-season shoulder subluxations that did not require surgery was approximately 21 days, according to Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not Miller’s ailment requires surgical intervention.

It’s an unfortunate setback for the former No. 2 overall pick, who was limited to just 27 games last season due a right wrist injury which required surgery. Miller recorded 25 points and seven assists in the Hornets’ season opener.

With Miller out most of the past two games, Kon Knueppel, Collin Sexton and Sion James have seen an uptick in playing time.

Injury Notes: Miller, Luka, LaVine, Hawks, Barlow

October 25th, 2025 at 9:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard/forward Brandon Miller, who missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, was ruled out for the remainder of Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia due to left shoulder soreness, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Miller checked out early in the second quarter and “appeared to be in a good amount of pain,” though it wasn’t immediately clear when the injury occurred — or how serious it might be.

Miller, 22, was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 draft and was coming off a solid first game in which he recorded 25 points and seven assists in 31 minutes against Brooklyn.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is questionable for Sunday’s matchup at Sacramento due to a left finger sprain, per the team’s injury report (Twitter link via Jovan Buha). According to Buha, Doncic sustained the injury early in Friday’s victory over Minnesota and had his finger wrapped for the rest of the evening. As we relayed this morning, Doncic broke a franchise record by scoring 92 combined points in the Lakers’ first two games. Jaxson Hayes (left knee soreness) is also questionable for Los Angeles, while Zach LaVine is questionable for the Kings due to an illness, tweets Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento.
The Hawks played without their entire starting frontcourt in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma City, notes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Center Kristaps Porzingis missed his second straight contest with flu-like symptoms, as did 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, who is battling a right ankle sprain. Forward Jalen Johnson missed his first game with his own right ankle sprain.
Forward Dominick Barlow, who has started the Sixers‘ first two games despite being on a two-way contract, was ruled out for the second half of Saturday’s eventual win over Charlotte after suffering a right elbow laceration, tweets Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Another two-way forward, Jabari Walker, got the starting nod in the second half, as Tony Jones of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).