The Charlotte Hornets have two weeks to decide how much Brandon Miller is worth. The deadline for a rookie-scale extension is October 19, and the dollar figure will say a lot about how the franchise sees its rebuild.
Miller is 23, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, and in the final year of his rookie deal. Without an agreement by the deadline, he becomes a restricted free agent next summer, which gives Charlotte the right to match any offer.
The case for paying him
Last season Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 65 games, shooting 43.5 percent overall, 38.3 percent from three and 89.2 percent at the line. He is now the clear face of the team after Charlotte traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this offseason. Roundtable Sports reported he is expected to sign an extension “in the coming days,” though no deal has been announced and that report has not been matched by a major outlet.
His career averages sit at 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Charlotte is building around him, Coby White, Kon Knueppel and Naz Reid, under coach Charles Lee, with a target of ending a playoff drought that dates to 2016. That is a roster that needs its best young scorer locked in.
The shoulder is the problem
The haggling is about health. Miller had a left shoulder procedure in May, the second straight offseason he has had to recover from a shoulder issue. He has been cleared for full contact and the team expects him to participate fully in camp.
That is why the number is contested. Analyst Eric Pincus projected a deal around $191 million, while other estimates run far higher. The gap between those figures is where the negotiation lives. Charlotte wants to see him healthy, and Miller’s side would prefer to lock in security now.
My take
Pay him. Restricted free agency protects the Hornets, but it also lets a rival set the price and forces Charlotte to match something it did not choose. Waiting a year to save a few million is a bad trade when you are trying to convince a young core that you are serious.
The injury history is a fair concern, and it should shape the structure of the deal, not whether there is a deal. Twenty points a game on those splits at 23 is not something a rebuilding team replaces easily.
What is not known
Neither the Hornets nor Miller’s camp has announced terms, and no figure has been officially confirmed. The estimates in circulation are projections, not offers. If an agreement is reached, it should land before October 19. If not, restricted free agency is the fallback, and that is a worse outcome for everyone.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.