With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away, could the Charlotte Hornets be planning some draft day moves?
The Charlotte Hornets‘ season has long been over, but there’s still much to anticipate. Free agency looms on the horizon, as does training camp and other team activities, but at the forefront of many fans’ minds is the upcoming NBA Draft.
In just over three weeks, we’ll find out where all the newcomers will land, and many experts can begin speculation on things like Rookie of the Year, who will be the surprise standouts, and who will end up being busts.
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For the Hornets, though, a lot of questions remain in terms of the draft. Are they drafting a future key player and potential superstar to replace Kemba Walker? Or, are they simply drafting a role player to compliment their newly re-signed, three-time All-Star?
Most fans are hoping for the latter, but time will tell. As for now, however, the question remains: Who will Charlotte end up picking? Mock drafts abound, of course, and many people have weighed in on who they think the team will pick, but those rarely factor in draft day trades.
The Hornets are no strangers to draft day trades, doing so just last year. That trade ended up landing Miles Bridges, who was actually drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers, in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom the Hornets drafted one pick earlier.
What if Charlotte did something more substantial, like say, trading up into the top 5? There is a lot of talent in that area, but could Charlotte actually pull it off?
I always think you should at least test the waters and try, but I’m not sure the Hornets have any assets teams will covet, outside of Kemba Walker or maybe some of the younger guys like Bridges or Malik Monk. Even then, I think most teams would rather keep their picks, especially for this talent-laden draft.
This is all echoed in other areas for Charlotte, as they have very little assets to trade in order to free up cap space on top of several troublesome contracts. It’s an unenviable position for GM Mitch Kupchak, but if he could somehow trade up in this draft, it would sure deal out a healthy dose of optimism the fanbase sorely needs.
Could we see some draft day magic come June 20th? It may have to come to that, but if it does, will it be enough to help get the franchise back into the playoffs? That remains to be seen.