The 2025 offseason will present the Charlotte Hornets with plenty of chances to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel of their lengthy rebuild. Much of the attention has been on the draft and the team's pursuit of high odds of landing the first overall pick in the lottery.
With currently the third-worst record in the league and four of their remaining five games being against postseason-bound opponents, the Hornets are likely going to hold onto their position in the standings. Thankfully, the revised weighted lottery system means they don't need to sink further than the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz to be allotted the most ping-pong balls among all draft lottery participants.
However, the front office should know better than to put all its eggs in one basket. It's tough to place a lot of burden on a rookie, although maybe someone like Cooper Flagg would be up to the task. Then again, the chances of Charlotte landing the Duke University standout might be 14.0 percent, which is currently its odds of winning the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
Mark Williams' Hornets future is still in limbo
If it isn't obvious enough, the roster still needs work. The Hornets' defense has made headway during some nights in this campaign but is just too inconsistent. With underwhelming point-of-attack and interior defense, some opponents have made easy work of the squad. Meanwhile, their offense has been one of the worst in the league, as they have typically failed to generate high-quality shots, and playmaking has been lacking.
One of the biggest questions Charlotte has to face is whether trading Mark Williams again would give the team a quicker route toward contention.
He has returned to form in recent weeks, putting up nine double-doubles in 13 appearances in March. The big man has even shown some improvement in facilitating the offense, although he dished out a combined four assists while turning the ball over nine times in his previous three contests.
Despite the positive facets of his game, Williams' exit from the franchise that drafted him with the 15th overall pick in 2022 seems inevitable. As promising as he can be, his shortcomings in defense, consistency, and health could push the organization to get rid of him well before he becomes a liability, especially considering he is due for a hefty contract extension next summer.
Of course, the Hornets will deal with their Williams dilemma when the right time comes. After all, it's unclear for now whether they can receive another solid trade offer similar to the package they were supposed to get from the Los Angeles Lakers at the last deadline. Perhaps the 23-year-old center can increase his value to Charlotte or another franchise with better performances (whenever he suits up) in the final week of the regular season.