Charlotte Hornets: 3 trades to consider for the 11th pick

It’s officially draft week and the Charlotte Hornets should be looking at every single option available to them with the 11th overall pick, including trades. There’s been a lot of whispers about teams moving up or down on draft night, and the Hornets could very well find themselves in the mix of that.

Sitting right in the middle of the lottery, Charlotte could find themselves in a unique opportunity to move up for a stud, or move back and collect picks to have more chances at picking a stud. I’ve exhausted this thought, but the Hornets must be looking for a co-star to add next to LaMelo Ball in this year’s draft.

The Hornets can sit at #11 and find that player, however, unexpected things happen, and depending on how the draft goes, there are certain trade offers that Charlotte should think about.

Here are three trades the Hornets should consider.

Charlotte Hornets drops out of the lottery for Oklahoma City’s two mid 1st round picks.

A simple trade back here with the Oklahoma City Thunder where the Hornets give up the 11th pick and move out of the lottery for picks 16 and 18. This has been one of the most popular mocked trades circling around as of late.

If I’m being realistic about Charlotte’s actual draft board when playing general manager, in this scenario I would consider a trade back if Moses Moody and Franz Wagner were off the board. I feel like anyone else who has actual value and fits this Hornets team could be available at 16 and 18.

Potentially in this trade back, the Hornets could be looking at Keon Johnson, who I’m personally very high on and would take at 11. Johnson is a likely lottery pick, but analyst such as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has him at 16 in his latest mock. Usman Garuba, who while being a little undersized for a big man is probably the best defensive prospect in this class. Jalen Johnson, who the Hornets have brought in for a solo workout and is a forward with a ton of upside. Ziaire Williams, another player I’m more high on than most, has all the tools to have star potential but just needs to put it together. Also, Kai Jones, who personally, I don’t like as much as the rest of the fan base, however outside of the lottery, I would be okay with it.

Charlotte may need to throw in a second-round pick to complete the deal but if OKC sees a guy they like at 11 I could see this deal going through.