The Charlotte Hornets and starting forward Brandon Miller have agreed to a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale contract extension days before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. ESPN was first to report the terms of the deal.

This new five-year extension for Miller locks him in as one of the young faces of the Hornets franchise alongside Rookie of the Year runner-up Kon Knuppel through the 2031-32 season with an annual average value of $43 million.

Miller, 23, is now the seventh player from the 2023 NBA Draft class to earn a rookie-scale contract extension before the 2026-27 season, joining Victor Wembanyama (5yr/252M), Amen Thompson (5yr/208M), Keyonte George (5yr/157.5M), Ausar Thompson (5yr/155M), Cason Wallace (5yr/139M), and Brandin Podziemski (5yr/110M).

Negotiations between the Hornets and Miller were always trending in a positive direction, and both sides believed a deal would be reached before the start of the new season. After trading LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the Hornets had signaled they were ready to move in a new direction, one that revolves around Miller and Knueppel.

As a result of his growth as a key scoring weapon on the wing and his potential moving forward, Charlotte rewarded the second pick from 2023 with this new long-term extension that he was hoping to receive.

The two sides had progressed in extension talks in the week leading up to this extension, with sources telling ClutchPoints that recent deals given to Franz Wagner (5yr/224M), OG Anunoby (5yr/212.5M), and Amen Thompson (5yr/208M) were topics of conversation in negotiations for Miller and his camp.

Ultimately, the two sides came to the conclusion of $209 million through the 2031-32 season, which is comparable to the $208 million extension Thompson signed with Houston in September before the start of the preseason. Miller now avoids restricted free agency next summer and will enter his fourth season in Charlotte as one of the young, emerging stars in the NBA.

Over his first three seasons with the Hornets, Miller has averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from 3-point range. The 2025-26 season was Miller's second straight season averaging at least 20 points per game, as he averaged 20.2 points in 65 games last year, all of which he started.

Although his production on the court is unmatched, Miller has missed roughly 33% of the Hornets' total games since the franchise drafted him second overall behind Wembanyama in 2023.

Miller only played in 27 games during the 2024-25 season due to undergoing season-ending surgery for a torn ligament in his right wrist, and he recently underwent surgery to address left shoulder instability in May. Early in the 2025-26 season, Miller suffered a left shoulder subluxation injury that led to him needing this offseason surgery.

While the Hornets are dealing with multiple injuries to Knueppel, Coby White, and Grant Williams entering the 2026-27 campaign, Miller is good to go and recently scored 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting in the team's 105-90 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

As the Hornets prepare for the start of the 2026-27 season, they will lean on Miller to try to end the franchise's 10-year playoff drought, the longest active streak in the NBA. Despite making the play-in tournament last season and defeating the Miami Heat in the 9-seed vs. 10-seed game, the Hornets were unable to get past the Orlando Magic and earn an actual playoff spot.

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The Hornets went 44-38 last season, the organization's best record since winning 43 games during the 2021-22 season.

Next to Miller and Knueppel, Charlotte enters the 2026-27 season with a lot of new faces. Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and Dennis Schroder headline the list of veterans joining this young team, which also added Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr. in the 2026 NBA Draft.

With plenty of depth and a young star in Miller leading the offensive attack, the Hornets are hopeful that last year's success will carry over to this upcoming year, hopefully putting an end to their 10-year playoff drought.

Miller and the Hornets will open their 2026-27 season on Wednesday, Oct. 21, on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. The Hornets also opened up the 2025-26 season against the Nets, beginning last year with a 1-0 record after a 136-117 home win.