Hornets Looking to Pull Off Huge Draft Day Trade
By Jovan Alford
After weeks of rumors and speculation, the 2024 NBA Draft is officially here and no one knows exactly how the top 5, let alone the rest of the first round will pan out. The Charlotte Hornets are looking for another key building block to add to their young core with the No. 6 overall pick.
The Hornets can go in a variety of ways with the No. 6 pick as they could take Dalton Knecht, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Caste, or Donovan Clingan, depending on who is left on the board. Any of those guys would help a young Hornets’ team that only won 21 games last season and has a new head coach in Charles Lee.
However, with so much uncertainty regarding the first five picks, the Hornets are discussing a potential move that could shake things up.
Hornets Rumors: Charlotte Wants to Move into Top-3 of NBA Draft
The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported Wednesday that Charlotte has expressed interest in acquiring the No. 3 overall pick, currently held by the Houston Rockets. Iko added that a Western Conference executive pointed out how Hornets center Mark Williams could be a player of interest for the Rockets.
The Charlotte Hornets are interested in trading up for the No. 3 pick, and Mark Williams is a player that Houston finds intriguing, per @KellyIko
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 26, 2024
“The Charlotte Hornets continue to express interest in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and one Western Conference executive identified… pic.twitter.com/0q4k3aYG9f
This latest news from Iko is interesting, given that we haven’t heard Williams mentioned in any trade talks up to this point. For all intents and purposes, the former first-round pick is considered one of the building blocks of the Hornets’ franchise, along with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
This season with the Hornets, the former Duke big man only played in 19 games because of a back injury. However, as a rookie in 2022-23, Williams played well, averaging 9.0 points and 7.1 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game (43 games).
That said, if the Hornets are trying to get the No. 3 pick, it could signal that they want Clingan, who would replace Williams in the frontcourt. However, another scenario could be the Hornets taking Reed Sheppard with the third pick to pair with Ball.
Nonetheless, the 2024 NBA Draft promises to be one to remember, as no one knows how this draft class will pan out or what certain teams will do. The Hornets will likely play a major role in how the first round shakes out.
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