Coach Charles Lee's Charlotte Hornets have mounting injury concerns as they prepare to open the 2026-27 NBA season on Wednesday, October 21 at the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets. Center Naz Reid is showing leadership on a youthful team that cut one of its most well known veterans, Pat Connaughton.

The news was revealed by ESPN senior insider Shams Charania about the Hornets shooting guard and former Milwaukee Bucks NBA champion.

Connaughton, 33, starred at the University of Notre Dame and was selected 41st overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets before he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He was also selected in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles as a right-handed pitcher. He was traded from the Bucks to the Hornets in July 2025 and played in 42 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds.

The Hornets have an intriguing mix of veterans and youth in the backcourt with rising star Kon Knueppel flanked by Coby White. Knueppel is expected to miss early season games with a hamstring injury while White also received a rough injury diagnosis.

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Young, high-flying forward Brandon Miller is also dealing with injury concerns meaning that frontcourt mates Reid and Moussa Diabate could face added pressure early in the season.

The Hornets are a work in progress, and felt as if they'd be better off without Connaughton despite his track record of success at the NBA level. Now the question is whether another team feels that it's worth rolling the dice on the former Bucks three-point sniper as the NBA heads toward its opening days.