2025 General Draft Discussion 2

[EmpireFalls]

Interesting nuggets from Brett Siegel of Clutchpoints:

The fourth pick in the draft belongs to the Hornets, an organization that is looking to continue their rebuild around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Over the last couple of weeks, Kon Knueppel and Tre Johnson have been the two names most associated with the Hornets when talking with rival teams.

Many around the league have downplayed the speculation regarding Knueppel and Johnson, as it seems like these are two names as a smokescreen to cover up Charlotte's true intentions. The Hornets have a plan, and they've been extremely quiet leading up to the draft by keeping their cards very close to their chest, something the regime that came before this new front office struggled with.

With this said, league sources signal the Hornets have actively been engaged in trade conversations with others eyeing the fourth pick in anticipation of the 76ers passing on Bailey. There also seems to be a potential pre-draft war breaking out between the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets over Jeremiah Fears, who is widely viewed as the second-best guard in the draft behind Harper.

While they may hold interest in Bailey, these three teams also have Fears high on their draft boards, sources said. Trading up to the fourth pick with Charlotte would potentially give these organizations a choice between Fears and Bailey, as the Hornets could comfortably move down a few spots and still end up with the player they want.

It is hard to imagine Charlotte making a trade that would push them out of the top 10.


Mark Williams continues to come up in trade discussions around the league, and it seems like a matter of time before the Hornets move him. Many are attempting to connect the dots before the draft with chatter surrounding the Hornets being active in trade discussions, which has led to a hypothesis suggesting Khaman Maluach is Charlotte's main target inside the top 10.

With all the attention Bailey and Fears are drawing, Maluach will very likely be on the board in the 5-9 range of the draft. If this is in fact Jeff Peterson's big plan for the Hornets, he could leverage the fourth pick, move down a few spots to select Maluach, and also add additional assets from his friend Sean Marks, who he was the assistant GM for in Brooklyn before being picked to spearhead Charlotte's revamped front office.

Oh god… coming out of this draft with Mark gone and Maluach in would be worst case scenario for me.

[MasterIchiro]

Interesting nuggets from Brett Siegel of Clutchpoints:

The fourth pick in the draft belongs to the Hornets, an organization that is looking to continue their rebuild around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Over the last couple of weeks, Kon Knueppel and Tre Johnson have been the two names most associated with the Hornets when talking with rival teams.

Many around the league have downplayed the speculation regarding Knueppel and Johnson, as it seems like these are two names as a smokescreen to cover up Charlotte's true intentions. The Hornets have a plan, and they've been extremely quiet leading up to the draft by keeping their cards very close to their chest, something the regime that came before this new front office struggled with.

With this said, league sources signal the Hornets have actively been engaged in trade conversations with others eyeing the fourth pick in anticipation of the 76ers passing on Bailey. There also seems to be a potential pre-draft war breaking out between the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets over Jeremiah Fears, who is widely viewed as the second-best guard in the draft behind Harper.

While they may hold interest in Bailey, these three teams also have Fears high on their draft boards, sources said. Trading up to the fourth pick with Charlotte would potentially give these organizations a choice between Fears and Bailey, as the Hornets could comfortably move down a few spots and still end up with the player they want.

It is hard to imagine Charlotte making a trade that would push them out of the top 10.


Mark Williams continues to come up in trade discussions around the league, and it seems like a matter of time before the Hornets move him. Many are attempting to connect the dots before the draft with chatter surrounding the Hornets being active in trade discussions, which has led to a hypothesis suggesting Khaman Maluach is Charlotte's main target inside the top 10.

With all the attention Bailey and Fears are drawing, Maluach will very likely be on the board in the 5-9 range of the draft. If this is in fact Jeff Peterson's big plan for the Hornets, he could leverage the fourth pick, move down a few spots to select Maluach, and also add additional assets from his friend Sean Marks, who he was the assistant GM for in Brooklyn before being picked to spearhead Charlotte's revamped front office.

Oh god… coming out of this draft with Mark gone and Maluach in would be worst case scenario for me.

My sentiments exactly. It's hush hush but Fears is a target for tradeup.

[MasterIchiro]

BTW, if both the Nets trade up to 4 and the Hornets deal Mark Williams, I would think Claxton is our next center. He is a DPOY guy.

Wizards and Pelicans don't provide a center replacement for Mark.

Leads me to believe we take Jakucionis 8.

[JustBuzzin]

Hornets using Tre and Kon as smokescreen.

I think they want Ace they just not trying to make it known.

[Bassman]

Honestly, the worst disaster scenario might be playing out. What the hell is wrong with Peterson? IF he indeed is targeting Maluach at pick 8 (trade down) but also planning to trade Williams for….what? A bag of nuts and some future first round POS pick far off? Did the owners pick this guy just so he could ruin their investment?

Maluach would be yet ANOTHER MASSIVE REACH for the brain dead Jeffie. Is he in love with certain men’s bodies or something? I mean does Kahman have some potential to become a massive intimidator at center? Yes, some, sorta, maybe, but he didn’t do a great job at Duke, he’s hardly a rim protector, he gets beaten badly positioning at the rim…must I go on? I guess cause he hits some 3’s at his combine and workout against empty air, THAT makes him a bonafide prospect. SPIT!

[MasterIchiro]

I think the deal would be Claxton + 8 (Jaku) + 19 (center) for 4 (Fears) + Mark + Nurk.

We may very well have Maluach as the top-rated center (as most teams do) but like our 2nd/3rd choice targets enough to grab a C prospect with 19.

At 8 we take Jakucionis.

[Bassman]

BTW, if both the Nets trade up to 4 and the Hornets deal Mark Williams, I would think Claxton is our next center. He is a DPOY guy.

Wizards and Pelicans don't provide a center replacement for Mark.

Leads me to believe we take Jakucionis 8.

Well at least it would be some closure and rebirth in one area. So here’s what I’d consider:

Hornets trade Williams, Nurkic, picks 4, 33 and 34
Nets trade Claxton, picks 8, 19 and 27.

My consideration presumes the Hornets are looking to get Jaku or Carter Bryant with pick 8. I still have no desire to get Maluach, and not convinced Claxton is much better than Mark. But a good player at 8, plus some quality pickup options at 19 & 27 would help us build more depth. Nets won’t give up that much, and Jeffie won’t ask for much cause it’s “his buddies over in Brooklyn…let’s help them get who they want.”

[MasterIchiro]

BTW, if both the Nets trade up to 4 and the Hornets deal Mark Williams, I would think Claxton is our next center. He is a DPOY guy.

Wizards and Pelicans don't provide a center replacement for Mark.

Leads me to believe we take Jakucionis 8.

Well at least it would be some closure and rebirth in one area. So here’s what I’d consider:

Hornets trade Williams, Nurkic, picks 4, 33 and 34
Nets trade Claxton, picks 8, 19 and 27.

My consideration presumes the Hornets are looking to get Jaku or Carter Bryant with pick 8. I still have no desire to get Maluach, and not convinced Claxton is much better than Mark. But a good player at 8, plus some quality pickup options at 19 & 27 would help us build more depth. Nets won’t give up that much, and Jeffie won’t ask for much cause it’s “his buddies over in Brooklyn…let’s help them get who they want.”

The price tag on Claxton is so high the Lakers ran away screaming and overpaid for Mark in a panic. If we can anchor the defense with a DPOY guy to go with LaMelo + Miller + Miles scoring, we can compete for the play-in which is a necessary first step.

This trade is a pivot away from tanking.

I like the inclusion of 33 + 34 for 27.

Adding 8 + 19 + 27 means adding 3 rookies which is not ideal for a team competing for wins, but we can be selective about the NBA-readiness of those prospects.

[Bassman]

I think the deal would be Claxton + 8 (Jaku) + 19 (center) for 4 (Fears) + Mark + Nurk.

We may very well have Maluach as the top-rated center (as most teams do) but like our 2nd/3rd choice targets enough to grab a C prospect with 19.

At 8 we take Jakucionis.

I like your thinking here, and the possibility of getting either Sorber or Beringer at 19 would be solid. I’d still like to force them to take our seconds for their #27 and get that center there (maybe a Raynaud or Kalkbrenner) and nab a good wing or guard prospect there.

[fatlever]

My brain hurts

I don't hate maluach as a prospect. His screen setting is elite, better than Mark, with similar catch radius. He could be a better mark by year 2

But it also feels like a lateral move. Mark trade return will be thin.

Jeff has to nail this next 12 months.

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[fatlever]

Supposedly Fears is the player who won’t work out for the Hornets, saying he wouldn’t play with Melo. Interpreted to mean Fears would need to be the ball dominant handler of the offense, which is Melo’s role here, so it’s not an attractive situation for Jeremiah. So there’s that….

Absent trading Melo I don’t see this team drafting Fears or Jaku, either straight up at 4 or in a trade back scenario.

Melo's dad was literally just saying that LaMelo's natural position is off ball (with Lonzo running point). Versatility is a good thing in a backcourt.

But I think the Nets trade up to 3 or 4 for Fears.

He did say that... then followed with.... Melo will only move off ball for Lonzo. [Throws hands up]

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[yosemiteben]

Interesting nuggets from Brett Siegel of Clutchpoints:

The Hornets have a plan, and they've been extremely quiet leading up to the draft by keeping their cards very close to their chest, something the regime that came before this new front office struggled with.

With this said, league sources signal the Hornets have actively been engaged in trade conversations with others eyeing the fourth pick in anticipation of the 76ers passing on Bailey.

This doesn't pass the sniff test for me for two reasons:

(1) We did not have leaks when Mitch ran our FO.

(2) "The Hornets have a plan but no one knows what it is, unlike previous regimes." NEXT SENTENCE: "The Hornets are engaged in trading down."

Just feels like made up nothings to me.

[JustBuzzin]

I think the deal would be Claxton + 8 (Jaku) + 19 (center) for 4 (Fears) + Mark + Nurk.

We may very well have Maluach as the top-rated center (as most teams do) but like our 2nd/3rd choice targets enough to grab a C prospect with 19.

At 8 we take Jakucionis.

Why would we have to add Mark?

Brooklyn is trying to trade up they should give more value. We should keep Mark for a separate trade.

Nurk expiring is more than enough for us to add to the deal.

Nurk/Green/#4 for Claxton/#8

[wilson115]

So they passed up Clingan and Edey last year and traded away Nick, now they're in love with Maluach? Yeah, made-up ****.

[LofJ]

The whole point of accumulating extra draft assets is to trade for a proven big that impacts winning. Drafting one and starting from scratch makes zero sense.

[fatlever]

Read on Twitter

?t=ra1wFEwW5aN8xJhkSKJ4JA&s=19

Thread on Ace vs kon

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[JustBuzzin]

If I'm being honest the smart thing to do would be trade for KD without an extension agreement. Get him in the building and hope we win enough and he changes his mind during the season.

At this point I'm not feeling the #4 pick if we aren't seriously considering Ace.

Get KD for cheap. The #4 pick is more than what other teams are currently offering for KD.

Bridges/Green/Grant/#4 for KD

At worst we cut a ton of salary KD opts out and we have cap space for another big FA signing after the season.


Tell me how we lose in this scenario?

[KembaWalker]

If I'm being honest the smart thing to do would be trade for KD without an extension agreement. Get him in the building and hope we win enough and he changes his mind during the season.

At this point I'm not feeling the #4 pick if we aren't seriously considering Ace.

Get KD for cheap. The #4 pick is more than what other teams are currently offering for KD.

Bridges/Green/Grant/#4 for KD

At worst we cut a ton of salary KD opts out and we have cap space for another big FA signing after the season.


Tell me how we lose in this scenario?

in every conceivable fashion?

[Liver_Pooty]

If I'm being honest the smart thing to do would be trade for KD without an extension agreement. Get him in the building and hope we win enough and he changes his mind during the season.

At this point I'm not feeling the #4 pick if we aren't seriously considering Ace.

Get KD for cheap. The #4 pick is more than what other teams are currently offering for KD.

Bridges/Green/Grant/#4 for KD

At worst we cut a ton of salary KD opts out and we have cap space for another big FA signing after the season.


Tell me how we lose in this scenario?

Reading this made me almost go on a drug infested bender till next Tuesday. lol. Jk.

Sort of.

[JustBuzzin]

If I'm being honest the smart thing to do would be trade for KD without an extension agreement. Get him in the building and hope we win enough and he changes his mind during the season.

At this point I'm not feeling the #4 pick if we aren't seriously considering Ace.

Get KD for cheap. The #4 pick is more than what other teams are currently offering for KD.

Bridges/Green/Grant/#4 for KD

At worst we cut a ton of salary KD opts out and we have cap space for another big FA signing after the season.


Tell me how we lose in this scenario?

in every conceivable fashion?

How so?

Gives us a chance to go for the playoffs while also trying to convince KD he can win in Charlotte.

If he leaves after the season we got off Green/Grant/Miles and we can replace KD production in FA with the cap space.

Assuming we keep Nurk and let him expire you're looking at 70mil in expiring contracts with KD/Nurk.


How do we lose again?