The Charlotte Hornets are in dire need of a savior — or at least another franchise-changing talent. The 2025 draft has prospects with superstar and star potential, although, like most draft classes, most surefire generational players are likely going to be selected at the top of the draft.
However, the draft lottery once again didn't favor the Hornets, as they fell to fourth in the order despite finishing with the third-worst record in the 2024-25 regular season and having one of the highest odds to land the first overall pick.
Charlotte can officially kiss its Cooper Flagg dreams goodbye, with the Duke University product presumably heading to the Dallas Mavericks. A lot of people have called the lottery rigged, and although we would like to agree with it, there's no time for the Hornets to cry over spilled milk.
Still, a top-two or top-three pick would have been a good consolation because the team would have assured itself of getting Dylan Harper or a different prospect not named Flagg it would be eyeing.
However, landing the No. 4 selection has given the Hornets a tough predicament because their draft fate would depend on what the squads ahead of them in the order (the Mavs, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers) intend to do with their picks.
Hornets don't have an obvious choice at No. 4
With Flagg and Harper likely gone by the time it's on the clock, Charlotte should focus its attention on VJ Edgecombe and hope that the Spurs and Sixers aren't too high on the guard with incredible potential to be a defensive menace.
The former Baylor University standout looks like a seamless fit beside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, as his skill set would allow him to flourish beside the Hornets' two core pieces. Those concerned about his inability to shoot as efficiently from the 3-point line as fans would like should just look at how Amen Thompson has thrived with the Houston Rockets, even though his outside shooting is lacking for now.
Edgecombe being out of the picture at the fourth slot would be even more of a nightmare for the Hornets. Still, they could probably pivot towards Tre Johnson or Kon Knueppel, as those backcourt prospects have shown the potential to be elite marksmen, which would give Ball and Miller enough space to operate in the paint or midrange.
A scary result for the Hive would be the Hornets choosing Ace Bailey because while the forward looks like one of the best prospects of the 2025 draft class, his weaknesses could make him a bad fit in Charlotte.
The organization still has a lot of time to evaluate what to do with the No. 4 pick. Unfortunately, the obvious moves have been thrown out the window.