Hornets free agency tracker: Spencer Dinwiddie to Charlotte on one-year deal
Jeff Peterson’s cell phone has to be pretty warm. The president of basketball operations for the Charlotte Hornets has been rather busy over the past week.
The Hornets agreed to terms on a one-year deal with free agent Spencer Dinwiddie, league sources confirmed to the Observer on Wednesday. The veteran averaged 11 points and 4.4 assists per game for the Dallas Mavericks in 2025-26, serving as an emergency point guard option.
Bringing Dinwiddie on board is just the latest move for the ultra-busy Hornets, who began things by selecting Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner in the NBA Draft. They’ve acquired Collin Sexton and Pat Connaughton via trade before re-signing Tre Mann and coming to agreement with Mason Plumlee and Dinwiddie in free agency.
At some point over the coming days, the now guard-heavy Hornets will have to address the lack of big men. Their front line only features Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate, Plumlee and Kalkbrenner. So, there’s a good chance Peterson has a few more moves up his sleeve.
Tre Mann returns on three-year deal, loading backcourt
Turns out Tre Mann was indeed a priority.
The Hornets agreed to terms on a three-year, $24-million deal with Mann, league sources confirmed to The Observer on Tuesday.
It comes after the Hornets didn’t extend the $6.9 million qualifying offer to Mann in advance of the new league year beginning on Monday. Instead, they took a page out of what the Brooklyn Nets did in re-signing North Carolina product Day’Ron Sharpe to a two-year, $12 million deal.
Sharpe had a cap hold of $11 million prior to re-signing and the Nets saved cap space by executing the maneuver — a model the Hornets used to bring back Mann.
So, by not tendering Mann, it freed up space for the Hornets, who are operating above the NBA’s $154.6 million salary cap. Mann had a cap hold of $14.7 million and now that extra cash can be utilized to sign its four draft picks, highlighted by Kon Knueppel’s expected salary of $10 million per season.
Mann’s re-signing loads the Hornets’ backcourt up, particularly after the acquisitions of Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton. It wouldn’t be surprising to see president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson pull off another move to shore up the Hornets’ front line, which truly only features Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate, Mason Plumlee and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Charlotte acquiring Pat Connaughton, pair of draft picks
Add another new name to the Hornets’ roster.
The Hornets agreed to acquire Pat Connaughton and a pair of second-round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks for Vasa Micic, league sources confirmed to The Observer on Tuesday.
Connaughton has averaged six points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 595 career games, draining 43.8% of his shots from the floor and 35.6% beyond the arc. The 10-year guard joins a suddenly-crowded Hornets’ backcourt that also includes Collin Sexton, who was acquired from the Utah Jazz for Jusuf Nurkic on Sunday.
Connaughton’s arrival didn’t have any bearing on what the Hornets thought of Mann, who wasn’t given a qualifying offer before the deadline and became an unrestricted free agent. Connaughton is scheduled to earn $9.4 million in 2025-26 in the final season of a three-year, $28-million deal, so the Hornets aren’t tied to him financially long-term, keeping them flexible next summer.
Connaughton began his career in Portland in 2015, spending three seasons with the Trail Blazers before picking things up in Milwaukee with the Bucks. Micic, traded by the Hornets to the Phoenix Suns at the deadline, was re-acquired in the draft-day move sending Mark Williams to the Suns in exchange for the rights to Liam McNeeley.
Source: Mason Plumlee agrees to one-year deal
Mason Plumlee is headed for another stint in the Carolinas.
The Hornets agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million deal with Plumlee, league sources confirmed to The Observer on Monday. It marks a return for Plumlee, who was traded to the LA Clippers in February of 2023 for Reggie Jackson, a 2028 second-round pick and cash considerations.
With Mark Williams sent off to Phoenix and Jusuf Nurkić traded to the Utah Jazz for Collin Sexton and second-round pick, the Hornets needed someone to increase the depth at center with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, and that’s where Plumlee comes in.
He’ll provide a veteran voice and could also be used as a piece at the trade deadline in February, giving the Hornets someone to move to a playoff team searching for a reserve big man to add to the rotation.
During his season-plus with the Hornets, the Duke product started all 129 games in which he appeared, averaging nine points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He was actually posting career highs in points (12.2), rebounds (9.7), assists (3.7), field-goal percentage (66.9) and minutes (28.5) when the Hornets dealt him to the Clippers.
Josh Okogie’s contract
Monday was an important date on Josh Okogie’s calendar.
That’s when the 26-year-old’s $7.7 million salary for the 2025-26 season was supposed to be fully guaranteed. But the Hornets and Okogie agreed to push back the date to July 15, league sources confirmed to The Observer.
The moves gives the Hornets more time to get their financials in order to their liking.
Okogie, acquired along with three second-round picks from Phoenix in January, is one of Charlotte’s few veterans. Although the Hornets could benefit from having him around again, his economical contract expires next summer and can be also used in a trade.
So, Okogie has value to the Hornets either way.
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM.
