Heading into this year’s NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets need a big-hitter. Taking Brandon Miller third overall last year was a huge win, but after finishing toward the bottom of the league again this season, they can’t afford to whiff their selection this summer.
Unfortunately, the NBA Draft Lottery was unkind to the Hornets, but they still have the sixth pick in the draft. And though this year’s pool of players is supposedly weaker than usual, there could still be some solid players for Charlotte to consider.
In ESPN’s latest mock draft, they project the Hornets to take Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham with the sixth pick. However, that wasn’t the most notable tidbit of information to come out of the article.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo broke down the potential pick, and in his analysis, he noted that some prospects who could be available in the Hornet’s range have chosen not to work out with Charlotte.
"“The Hornets are sitting in a tricky spot at No. 6, with some prospects unwilling to work out in Charlotte. With a new front office in place and the team's new ownership also known to be heavily involved in decision-making, it remains to be seen what direction the franchise will take. And, there is much curiosity around the league surrounding LaMelo Ball's long-term fit.”"ESPN's Jeremy Woo
James Plowright of All Hornets speculated about some potential prospects who Woo could be referring to. He mentioned UConn’s Stephon Castle, who wants to be an NBA team’s full-time point guard.
In addition, Plowright mentioned the idea that some point guards and centers in the draft may not want to play for Charlotte due to the presence of LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams, respectively.
Those ideas make sense. Any player who wants to start immediately would want to go to a place where there isn’t a long-term plan in place, and Ball and Williams are clearly Charlotte’s point guard and center of the future.
Past that, there could be any multitude of reasons why players may not want to work out for the Hornets. Whether it be their desire to go to a better situation or the hope of playing in a bigger market, players have more power to choose their situation now more than ever.
Regardless, this rumor is bad news for the Hornets.
On the one hand, it could limit the players they want to bring in and, in turn, force them to select someone who may not want to play in Charlotte. But a potentially-worse reality is one where prospects don’t want to play for the Hornets simply because they’re the Hornets.
For the past few years, the Hornets have remained completely stagnant. If draft prospects are starting to avoid Charlotte, that’s not a good thing for the future of the franchise.