The Charlotte Hornets and forward Brandon Miller have agreed to a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale contract extension, according to representatives AJ Vaynerchuk and Joey Middleton of Vayner Sports, who spoke to ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday. Miller, who turns 24 next month, is coming off a career season in 2025-26, averaging 20.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from 3 in 65 regular-season games.
Health was a key part of that breakthrough. Miller appeared in just 27 games the previous season, but he stayed mostly healthy this time around. He was especially vital to Charlotte's midseason turnaround. The Hornets went 41-24 with Miller available and 3-14 without him. He missed part of the early season due to a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in May to address the stability of that shoulder. He has since fully recovered and appeared in preseason for Charlotte.
Miller, along with then-rookie Kon Knueppel, helped spearhead a surprise run to the postseason in the second half of last year, where the team fell in the second play-in game. The Hornets have since moved on from longtime franchise staples La Melo Ball and Miles Bridges, which will put Miller in an even bigger role this season.
Heading into his fourth year in the league, Miller was selected by Charlotte with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft. His new deal locks in a central piece of the franchise's future as it looks to build on last season's progress.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing