25. Charlotte Hornets
Key offseason moves: Drafted Tidjane Salaun; re-signed Miles Bridges
Even though it's unlikely that the Charlotte Hornets are going to make a huge move up the Eastern Conference standings this upcoming season, it would be foolish to not expect them to be better. How much better remains to be seen, but I do believe it's fair and safe to place them at this point in the power rankings. The Hornets didn't make a ton of additions this offseason, drafting Tidjane Salaun as a long-term prospect and then re-signing Miles Bridges, who remains a key part of their foundational core.
If the Hornets are going to make big improvements, it will likely be due to LaMelo Ball remaining healthy and Brandon Miller taking a big step in his progression. Even though that's a fairly reasonable expectation, I do believe that the Hornets are 2-3 years from such an improvement.
There's an outside chance that the Hornets could compete for a Play-In Tournament spot in the East, but I even think those are unrealistic expectations to place on the team heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.