Brandon Miller Signs Massive 5-Year Rookie Scale Extension Just a Day Before NBA Season Opener

The Charlotte Hornets have made their choice. Four months after trading LaMelo Ball, they have locked in Brandon Miller as the player they are building around.

Miller agreed to a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale extension on Monday, about an hour before the deadline and a day before the NBA season tipped off.

"Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller has agreed on a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale contract extension, representatives AJ Vaynerchuk and Joey Middleton of VaynerSports tell ESPN," Shams Charania wrote on X.

The new deal starts in 2027-28. Miller will earn $15.1 million this season, the last year of his rookie contract.

Last season, Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.0 steals in 65 games. More telling, the Hornets went 41–24 when he played and 3–14 when he didn’t.

That team, led by Miller, Ball and rookie Kon Knueppel, reached the play-in tournament but couldn’t get through it. Orlando beat Charlotte 121–90 in the final play-in game in April to take the East’s No. 8 seed. Then the Hornets reshaped the roster. In June, they traded Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and draft picks, leaving Miller and Knueppel as the core.

Health remains the one question. Miller missed most of his second season after wrist surgery, dealt with a left shoulder subluxation last season, and had surgery on that shoulder in May. He returned in time to play three preseason games.

Brandon Miller Speaks on Future With Hornets After Contract Extension

On Monday, a day before Brandon Miller finalized his contract extension with the Charlotte Hornets, he sat down with WCNC's Danielle Stein to talk about how he views his future with the team.

"I think it goes back to the players. Obviously, it's the players that are playing. Without their trust, the bond that I build with them, nothing will be on the floor for me right now," Miller said.

"So I just tip my hat off to them," Miller continued. "For building their trust in me, going through tough times with me... I just tip my hat off to my guys."

Based on Miller's response, it's clear that he loves playing with his Hornets teammates, hence his desire to stay in Charlotte despite not being a playoff team yet.

Miller hasn’t made an All-Star team yet. With Ball gone and a max-level deal signed, this is the season he gets the chance to. Stein asked him about it, and he doesn't bother himself with that.

"I don't really pay much attention to that," Miller responded. "I hear it. But I can't control what I can't control. I can't control what anybody says online. I can only control my play on the court. I'm going to stick to doing what I know, do what I'm good at, and that's playing basketball."

With Miller seemingly the new face of the Hornets franchise, it'll be interesting to see how brightly he'll shine as the team's newest leader heading into the upcoming season.