Charlotte Hornets Best and Worst Case Scenarios for the Draft

Best Case Scenario #2: Trade back to the 6-8 Range and Pick up Future Assets

In this draft, where there is not that much parity between the top picks and a couple spots below, trading down is a viable option Kupchak should consider. The Knicks and Pistons at 7 and 8 have both been rumored to be considering moving into the Top 3, and at 6 the Hawks have been looking to make a gigantic splash.

Could moving into the Top 3 for potentially one of Edwards/Wiseman/Ball be a big enough splash? Gathering extra assets would be very good for the Hornets FO to do. Gathering assets and still selecting a great prospect though? Great. The price to move up could be a good young prospects, future first(s), or other picks in this current draft, or a mix of those.

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Grabbing any of those while staying in the 6-8 range to nab a good prospect on top would be very nice. Some potential prospects possibly available in that range would be Killian Hayes, Deni Avdija, Onyeka Okongwu, Isaac Okoro, and plenty of other prospects. Any of those mentioned would be a very nice addition to the team.

Hayes and Okongwu are two of my favorites there. Hayes is a High IQ point guard currently playing over in France. He is a three level passer and primary creator who currently is not as strong off of the ball but with his shooting touch and 3pt% improvement from last to this season, seems to be able to add that to his game if coached right.

He is also a capable off-ball defender due to his BBall IQ who can struggle to guard some quicker players due to his lack of athleticism. Even his lack of athleticism is not all too bad though, as he has shown signs of speed and burst in the open court when he’s leading fast breaks. He should be able to reach being a solid starter in the NBA if he works hard.

Okongwu is another interesting option in the 6-8 pick range also. He is a defensive center with a high motor who can potentially guard 3 (Maybe some 2’s, but bigger 2’s or else can be a long shot) positions, and is an active and more-than-capable rim protector also. Okongwu has a nice post and face-up game, and has shown flashes of potentially becoming a decent passer also, which would be very useful out of the short roll or while in the post to wide open shooters.

His shooting is nothing to laugh at but is not ideal yet, but with his touch and nice mechanics could eventually grow into a decent shooter, and maybe even a pretty solid shooter from deep as well. Either of these two guys, or any other solid options who are available at the pick that the Charlotte Hornets would potentially trade down into, would be really solid additions.

Add this to whatever they’d acquire in the deal, it would be GREAT move that could maximize the value of the 3rd pick by adding more assets as well as a really nice prospect, and would be worth trading the 3rd pick.