The Charlotte Hornets and Brandon Miller have agreed upon a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale contract extension, Shams Charania of ESPN reported late afternoon on Monday.
The Hornets and Miller had discussions surrounding a deal across the offseason, with Brandon looking to land the largest non-Victor Wembanyama deal from the 2023 draft class. Houston's Amen Thompson held that number prior, signing a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale extension a little over a month ago.
He's now the seventh first-round selection from the 2023 class to secure an extension. Victor Wembanyama, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Keyonte George, Cason Wallace, and Brandin Podziemski are the others. With a 6 PM deadline to finish the deal, the Hornets and Miller just beat the buzzer.
Miller, who's coming off a career-best year, looks to take the reigns as the new face of the Hornets franchise after the team dealt LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the offseason. Alongside Kon Knueppel, Miller will look to lead the Hornets to improve upon their finish last season, where they fell to the Orlando Magic in the 9 vs 8 Play-In matchup.
In his third season in the league, Brandon averaged 20.2 points, shooting 37.3% from three and 55.9% in true shooting. He suffered a shoulder injury during the second game of the season that saw him wear a wrap for the remainder of the year, and eventually received surgery on the shoulder shortly after the season ended.
Miller's continued development into potentially one of the league's best scorers gives Charlotte a foundation to build upon in their new era. His ability to score at all three levels makes him a valuable offensive option, particularly as the Hornets look to establish a new hierarchy following Ball's departure.
With Ball no longer in the picture, Miller now has the opportunity to establish himself as Charlotte's number one option. His development will be of importance for the organization as they look to build around a younger core with Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid, and Coby White. While the extension represents a significant financial commitment from the Hornets, it also shows how much confidence the organization has in the 2023 second overall pick, and his ability to develop into a franchise player.
At just 23 years old, Miller has time to continue developing into a more efficient scorer, and a consistent first option. He's expected to return to full health after his shoulder surgery, and his fourth season may be the most important of his career.
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