Charlotte Hornets Surprisingly Release Veteran Guard

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the NBA's worst-run franchises for a long, long time, and even in a weak Eastern Conference, they aren't expected to make much noise in the upcoming 2025–26 campaign. That's a major disappointment for the young core that they've built of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and 2025 first-round pick Kon Knueppel, all of whom have the potential to lead this franchise towards success.

However, it's clear that they lack leadership and veteran guidance, so when they picked up Spencer Dinwiddie earlier this offseason, many saw it as a great move for a young, up-and-coming team.

Thursday's news came as a major shock to Hornets fans then, since ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the team is officially parting ways with Dinwiddie, releasing the veteran guard before he played a game with the team.

It's unclear exactly what the reason was behind this move, but after Dinwiddie averaged a solid 11 points a night with Dallas a year ago, he could have been a useful piece off the Hornets' bench. Instead, the team will look to the trio of Tre Mann, Collin Sexton, and Josh Green to be the focal point off the bench, and if this works out, it may end up being one of the best benches in the league.

Ultimately, then, it's unclear what Dinwiddie's future in the NBA is now that he doesn't have a team just days before the regular season, but with his talent, there will be no doubt that there will be interest, especially if injuries strike some teams in the coming weeks and months.