Will the Charlotte Hornets terminate their contract with Bally Sports?

The New Orleans Pelicans recently ended their deal with Diamond Sports Group (Bally Sports) to stream games, and it's very possible that other NBA franchises will do the same in the near future. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons are four other teams that Bally reportedly plans to cut before the 2024-25 season.

Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in March 2023, putting the future of its streaming contracts in question. Last summer, new Charlotte Hornets co-owner Rick Schnall was asked about the organization's plans for a future TV deal if something goes wrong with Bally.

“We obviously have a contract through the 2025-26 season with Bally Sports and we expect them to honor that contract. They're obviously in Chapter 11, so negotiations are ongoing on that and the NBA is very concerned and heavily involved. There will be a place to watch the Hornets. We think it will be Bally Sports under the terms of the contract, but if not, we'll have alternate plans.”

For example, the Pelicans will now broadcast their games on local station WVUE-TV Fox 8 via Gray Television. What makes me think there might be something going on behind closed doors is the fact that the Hornets have not yet decided where their preseason games will be seen. However, all games will be heard on WFNZ.

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