It seems a lot of people agree that the Charlotte Hornets have to draft VJ Edgecombe if he's still available at No. 4. However, other teams are reportedly high on the promising guard out of Baylor University. As such, the Hornets could have plenty of competition also chasing after him.
Maybe Charlotte can look at it differently. Instead of fighting off other teams' potential pursuit of Edgecombe, the Hornets can take advantage of it by dangling the fourth overall selection in trade talks during draft night if he is still available. According to Jake Fischer (subscription required), some organizations are "preparing for" that eventuality.
The team that some league executives are monitoring, per Fischer, is the Washington Wizards, who own the Nos. 6 and 18 picks. If they are desperate to land Edgecombe, they could offer both, along probably with some other assets. In that scenario, the Hornets might have to weigh whether bringing in a few valuable pieces would be better than the potential star guard.
Some Buzz City fans might not be thrilled with that possibility, especially those who believe that Edgecombe looks like the ideal piece next to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. His ceiling on defense is through the roof because of his athleticism, as well as defensive instincts and IQ. People have questioned his ability to shoot efficiently from the perimeter, but he could more than make up for it by focusing on being a secondary shot-creator and taking advantage of his agility as an off-ball threat.
Hornets must get ready to receive calls before and during the draft
But as already said, the qualities about VJ that the Hornets have likely taken a shine to are also presumably the reason other squads could go to great lengths to trade up in the draft to acquire him. With the organization's affinity for courting chaos in the draft, fans shouldn't be surprised if it gives up the No. 4 pick.
Let's say the Wizards are really willing to surrender their pair of 2025 first-rounders for it, and Charlotte is eying a different draft prospect that might still be available at No. 6. Some names that could emerge in that hypothetical situation are Kon Knueppel, whom a pundit has identified as the "best value" pick for the Hornets, and Khaman Maluach, a possible replacement for Mark Williams. Now, what if the Hornets could draft anyone from the likes of Drake Powell, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Noah Penda in the middle of the first round as a bonus?
Suddenly, the idea of the Hornets giving up on Edgecombe doesn't sound too crazy. And that's just Washington — other franchises could also send something close to a godfather offer.
So, while Charlotte's best bet to landing a generational talent is just drafting the 19-year-old if he is still on the board at the fourth spot, there's nothing wrong with doing some due diligence in the trade market.