Hornets picking Tidjane Salaun is awful botch job: Instant reaction & analysis 

The Charlotte Hornets have selected French big man Tidjane Salaun with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Salaun has been one of the fastest-rising prospects in this year’s class, jumping all the way up into the top 10. He’s an impressive scorer who has all the tools to be great on the defensive end, too.

However, this pick is a complete botch job by the Hornets.

Hornets picking Tidjane Salaun in 2024 NBA Draft is complete botch job

Before making the selection, there were reports from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that the Hornets were going to trade back to pick No. 9 with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Perhaps the Hornets really wanted Salaun and felt as though he wouldn’t have been available at pick No. 9, but that shouldn’t have stopped them in a class like this.

There are a ton of quality prospects. Guys like Providence’s Devin Carter, G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis, and Colorado’s Cody Williams were all on the board, and at least one of them would have been on the board at nine, too.

Instead, they took a prospect who has a ton of upside but is very, very raw right now. For a Hornets team that should be looking to improve sooner rather than later, that’s not ideal. Especially when they could have traded back, added more assets, and still gotten a great prospect.

Salaun could end up being a great prospect, and the fit with the Hornets could make some sense. His defensive presence and scoring could be a great fit next to Brandon Miller at the Hornets' forward positions.

This decision being a botch job is less about Salaun himself as a prospect and more about what the Hornets could have gotten out of this pick.

Had Charlotte traded back with the Grizzlies or Portland Trail Blazers, who ended up getting Clingan with the seventh pick. If they had done that, the Hornets would have been able to add some extra assets to their pool while also getting a top-tier player.

Carter, Buzelis, and Williams all would have made a ton of sense in Charlotte next to Ball and Miller, and all of them seem more ready to contribute right away than Salaun is.

Getting an extra draft pick (or more) while also getting a prospect they like would have been a much better move for the Hornets. They should be focused on improving their future, and adding extra picks would have done that more than Salaun will.

For the sake of the Hornets, hopefully, Salaun's talent shines through and he makes this concept look like a great decision, but right now, the Hornets should have traded back.