Is Charlotte Hornets veteran Naz Reid the team's best trade chip or is he a part of its future? Amid a 4-7 start to the 2026-27 regular season, it's still hard to say. When Reid was benched for the second half of a 124-91 loss to the Detroit Pistons for not meeting the standards of head coach's Charles Lee, some wondered if Naz's days in Charlotte were numbered this season.

For a roster seemingly in-flux after trading LaMelo Ball during the offseason, Reid could be traded ahead of this year's deadline, according to The Athletic's Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski.

“The Hornets are now clearly in a period of transition, and they decided that LaMelo was not going to be a part of the team that they believe can eventually get to real contender status,” Krawczynski said. “They made a decision with that core group that they were not good enough as constructed. So, they had to take a step back. What that also means is that A, the fans are going to be upset because they finally had a fun season last year, and now, it's going sideways again. But B, the possibilities of Naz getting traded again are very high.

“This is a roster that I think is going to change quite a bit over the next couple of years as the Hornets look for the right combination of people to really vault into what they hope is contention. I think you can say that Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are going to be there. Beyond that, who knows?”

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Naz Reid's double-double (25 points, 13 rebounds) helped the Hornets capture their fourth win of the regular season in a 124-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavs on Monday. Grayson Allen led the team with 27 points. It was an impressive win for a Hornets team playing without Brandon Miller (groin injury) and Kon Knueppel (hamstring), who will miss at least four weeks after re-injuring his left hamstring.

Miller exited the Hornets' 119-80 loss against the Boston Celtics with a groin injury last Friday.