Charlotte Hornets Poised to Facilitate NBA Trade Deadline Deals

Hornets' flexibility and assets make them well-positioned to help broker complex trades

Jan. 28, 2026 at 3:55pm

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The Charlotte Hornets are being viewed as a potential "facilitator" at the upcoming NBA trade deadline, according to league sources. With their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, expiring contracts, and surplus of future draft picks, the Hornets are able to take on salary and assets to help grease the wheels of bigger trades involving star players.

Why it matters

The Hornets' willingness to get involved in complex, multi-team trades could help unlock deals that might otherwise be difficult to complete. By taking on contracts or draft picks, Charlotte can provide the necessary financial flexibility and draft capital for other teams to pull off blockbuster trades.

The details

The Hornets have done this before, most notably helping facilitate the 2024 trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks and Julius Randle to the Jazz. This time around, the Hornets could use their $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception or the $29 million in expiring contracts from Collin Sexton and Pat Connaughton to absorb salary in a trade. In exchange, the Hornets would likely receive additional draft picks to continue building up their asset base.

  • The NBA trade deadline is on February 5, 2026.

The players

Luka Doncic

An NBA superstar who was recently traded in a blockbuster deal.

Anthony Davis

An NBA superstar who was also involved in the Luka Doncic trade.

Jalen Hood-Schifino

A player acquired by the Utah Jazz in the Luka Doncic trade.

Karl-Anthony Towns

An NBA superstar who was traded to the Knicks in 2024 in a deal facilitated by the Hornets.

Julius Randle

An NBA player who was traded to the Jazz in the 2024 deal facilitated by the Hornets.

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What they’re saying

“With various teams hard-capped at the first apron or just trying to remain below that threshold — or out of the luxury tax altogether — there's a growing belief leaguewide that we'll see Brooklyn, Charlotte and Utah play facilitator in a few of these more complicated frameworks. Sources say that the Nets, Hornets and Jazz have all been reiterating to teams in ongoing conversations that they are willing to help grease trades in exchange for draft capital.”

— Jake Fisher, NBA Insider (The Stein Line Substack)

What’s next

The Hornets will likely continue exploring trade deadline opportunities to facilitate deals involving star players in exchange for draft capital and assets to further build up their team.

The takeaway

The Hornets' flexibility and willingness to get involved in complex, multi-team trades make them a valuable trade partner at the deadline. By using their cap space and draft picks, Charlotte can help unlock deals that might otherwise be difficult to complete, positioning themselves to continue adding talent and assets to their roster.