The Charlotte Hornets have had little to play for this season in recent weeks. Assured of another season without stepping foot into the playoffs, the Hornets have understandably had to shift their focus onto the offseason and doing their best to put themselves in the best position to upgrade the roster over the summer.
One of the thrusts for the team has been to increase its odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which meant dropping down to a bottom-three ranking in the standings.
It fulfilled that goal on Wednesday by losing to the Toronto Raptors and ensuring that it can finish no better than a 21-61 record, which is also the worst standing the New Orleans Pelicans can plummet to. Since the Pelicans own the tiebreaker, the highest position Charlotte can land in the standings is 28th.
Hornets will have a 14.0 percent chance of winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
The good news for Buzz City amid a wildly disappointing season is that one of its missions has been accomplished. The race to win the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg has been a bit intense, with several teams trying to tank, unofficially, of course. However, injuries to several key Hornets players have made it difficult for the squad to rack up the wins.
Still, Charlotte will have to wait until the last week of June to see whether its labor will be in vain or not. The draft lottery hasn't always been kind to the franchise, as it has missed out on acquiring stars via the draft in the past two decades. As a silver lining, though, it has landed the likes of LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and Brandon Miller in previous years. Hopefully, the basketball gods will find favor in the team that currently holds the longest active playoff drought.
If the Hornets indeed get the No. 1 pick, they shouldn't have to think it through and just take Flagg with no hesitation. He may have some flaws in his game at the moment, but the front office can address those through other roster upgrades. Moreover, it would be poetic for the prospect to remain in North Carolina and try to redeem himself after a failed championship run with Duke University in the recent NCAA tournament.
Unfortunately, Charlotte also has to prepare for the possibility of falling in the draft order. In that case, there are also other prospects worth considering, including Dylan Harper, whom LeBron James once heaped high praises upon, and Ace Bailey. Still, the organization should just cross the bridge when it gets there. For now, the dream to capture the Flagg is alive.