BANE BLOCKBUSTER Shakes Hornets Trade Market | 4 1sts Enough for LaMelo Ball? | Tre Johnson a Bust?

BANE BLOCKBUSTER Shakes Hornets Trade Market | 4 1sts Enough for LaMelo Ball? | Tre Johnson a Bust?

monster trade in the NBA yesterday does everybody just cost four first round picks minimum now what does that mean for Charlotte does it mean anything for the Hornets and because we missed Friday sorry about that people we got two mock drafts for you i don’t know if Doug has two i just put him on the spot though so we’ll see if he get find two Doug today locked on Hornets let’s do it you are Locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day in a minute cuz we live [Music] maybe three you might put three on Put on your plate i’m just one man day 52 of 61 we’re getting close folks with the mock drafts all of the mockdrafts it’s Walker Mail it’s Doug Branson it’s Locked on Hornets your team every day on Locked on Hornets thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast hey speaking of those two hosts I was talking about Doug Branson has a Substack every hornetsboxcore.com he also has another podcast Locked on NBA with Matt Moore and Hayes and I’m Walker Mail you can listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 300 p.m this episode is brought to you by FanDuel right now new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins wow big trade yesterday and because of what we’ve talked about regarding the Hornets um feel like it’s pretty easy to find the local angle here so I’m struggling a little bit with the Flem and I’m struggling a little bit with the trade and how to wrap my head around it and I know you were like “Yeah you know I’m struggling with the trade too that makes sense.” No I’m struggling with more issues if you wanted to read some of the details that I put in the rundown that would be great while I mute my mic and then get over what I’m going through right now all right so the Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for KCP contavius Caldwell Pope that’s the same guy i just wanted to do the abbreviation and then the name both of them they didn’t trade for both of them okay wow desmond Bane cost a lot same guy uh Cole Anthony four unpro go heels four unprotected first round picks and one first round pick swap uh Orlando sent Memphis the number 16 pick in the 2025 NBA draft it’s 2026 first round pick which includes swap rights with the Phoenix Suns or the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets and its 2028 and 2030 unprotected first round selections the pick swap is top two protected in 2029 that’s a lot all of these trades are so complicated these days but the bottom line is it’s four unprotected first round picks there’s a first round pick swap in there and one of those pick swaps is 2026 and that involves the Hornets who get the worst uh pick of like four teams so it’s going to end up with the Hornets in 2026 via the Yousef Nerkage deal uh with Phoenix last season or this past season uh they are going to get the worst of like four teams so it’s going to probably end up in the 20s so Desmond play Desmond Bane is a really good player really good player okay the guy averages over 20 points per game each of the last four seasons if you exclude his rookie year he’s been in the league five years the last four years he’s been averaging more than 20 a game he does so with great efficiency he can shoot man he’s shooting above 40% each of the last four years hasn’t shot anything less than 38% nothing less than 38% his entire NBA career to this point even two-point percentage Doug like even inside the three-point arc he gets it done not just from a spot up shooter standpoint and he can also you know get to his spots to a certain degree but he plays off ball and that’s a really valuable piece i really like Desmond Bane i like him a lot he was a name I threw out there when we were discussing who the Hornets could possibly go after when we discuss taking a swing when we discuss taking a risk giving up a decent amount to go get somebody to put alongside the core however many you have the core three even if it doesn’t sound as fun as core four it’s probably a little more accurate than saying core four core two is the most accurate that you have with this Charlotte team but putting Bane next to those guys and perhaps trying to create a core three with LaMelo Ball Brandon Miller and Desmond Bane that would have made sense i did not expect him to go for four unprotected first and a pig swap that’s a lot that’s a ton that you’re giving up to go after somebody that’s never made an all-star team going after somebody that’s never made an alldefensive team going after someone that can’t be an offensive hub but is really valuable off the ball and before we move on on just this trade specifically it does represent what we’ve seen really since 2022 i’d say Doug there have been trades like this where oh okay um those are fringe to just outright allstars but like still only a few appearances and they’ve gotten a lot more than people thought they’d go for for instance we can start with Rudy Gobear back in 2022 when he was traded in Minnesota it was the same as Bane for unprotected first a pick swap but you also get Walker Kesler so a little little bit more for Goar male Bridges that was a big trade traded for five first round picks a pick swap and a second round pick to boot Donovan Mitchell when Cleveland went after him donovan Mitchell was traded for Markin and Ston Abaji which all three of those guys are valuable in their own right abaji was a rookie at the time three first and two swaps okay that’s about right and then Pascal Seakum was traded for three first round picks and that’s the one that I felt like was the closest to equal 100 cents on the dollar type value but still people thought maybe the Pacers paid a little too much for Seakum at the time but it really wasn’t all that egregious it It felt fine right that one felt like the most to equal value to all the other trades doug is this just the price of doing business now for taking a swing for guys that aren’t franchise players but Donovan Mitchell was kind of a franchise player is this just the price to pay for either close to franchise players or just a tier below that out there in the NBA well I think it it’s all depends on the player and the situation i mean for Orlando they already had their two stars to boot it’s not like they were looking for star power to insert into a bunch of role players they they have Berrow and they have Vagner and so they were just ready to compete now and their their their bet is the same bet that you that Minnesota made with Rudy that New York made with male and that Cleveland made with Donovan which is look we can trade three unprotected first it doesn’t matter because we’re going to be good we already have star power here we’re adding this player in we’re going to be good we’re going to compete in the playoffs and so those picks are not going to be that awesome anyway and and all of those bets so far are paying off including male uh so that’s that’s one thing to consider the the other thing to consider is that Desmond Bane has playoff experience and not only does he have playoff experience he performed extremely well in the playoffs he’s a player that can play off ball but he’s also a player that’s very comfortable playing on ball particularly when players are injured which is perfect for Orlando because they just went through a season where Banero missed a bunch of time Vagner missed a bunch of time Jaylen Suggs missed a bunch of time so if you’re going to bring a player into that into that system you want to make sure that they can also take he’s like a perfect player in that like he’s okay with being off ball but when when the time comes he can be that on ball guy that’s a super valuable player so I’m not sure that any of that really translates to the Hornet situation when you’re talking about LaMelo Ball who’s not not played in a single playoff game or Miles Bridges that’s what makes these decisions so difficult to translate to the Charlotte Hornets when you’re talking about the value that they could get back for LaMelo Ball and the value that they could get back for Miles Bridges plus Desmond Bane has never made a defensive player of the he’s never made a alldefensive team but he plays defense like he’s committed to that end of the floor and he’s he was playing a huge role on a Memphis team that did pride itself it is wasn’t the grit and grind Memphis team but it still prided itself on playing both ends and you know didn’t have as extensive an injury history did miss some time in in 23 24 and 22 23 but didn’t have as extensive an injury issue as LaMelo Ball does so all that to say I just don’t think that this really tells us much about what the Hornets could get back for LaMelo Ball or Miles Bridges well I think that’s a separate discussion right for sure it’s something we should talk about i guess the Hornets connection for me Doug this is a podcast that has talked about the Hornets taking a swing taking a risk at some point orlando in a different situation just went after Desmond Bane and I can’t talk just went after Desmond Bane there you go i had to create I had to pause the mic for a little bit okay just went after Desmond Bane gave him four first round picks in a pick swap now if we’re talking about the Hornets taking a risk and really trying to go make the playoffs Desmond Bane was a guy that made sense right like not Jiren Jackson not John Morant the third best player on a team that used to be pretty good a few years ago okay maybe you go after him i thought it would be to the tune of honestly I thought they’d probably ask for three first for Desmond i another an extra unprotected first and a pick swap that’s a big deal right that’s That’s a lot more value with those two added on for the three first that I thought it would take to go get them if you don’t if you don’t think it’s worth it for the Hornets right now to take that kind of swing it wouldn’t have been Well well but that but this is my point right cuz we’re nudging the Hornets to do something and take a swing take a big one and go take the risk what does that look like what does that look like so I don’t I don’t think now is the time to to send off four or five picks it to me i I think do something can mean a lot of different things i think they could add some veteran talent using an asset or two to help to help answer some of the questions that you need to answer to make that big swing that’s that’s what I’m saying orlando knows what they have in France Vagner they know what they have in Paulo Bankro and I don’t think they need to answer those questions anymore and so they were ready to make their move and they did it and they knew that if they made that move that they were going to be good enough or those picks weren’t going to be you know lottery picks that would come back to like haunt them and say “Oh they really should have kept those.” And they knew and they also know that if it all falls apart that they’re going to be able to they have enough talent in Ban Carro and Vagner to move that talent to to regain those pick assets back none of that exists for the Charlotte Hornets there is no sure thing like if you brought Bane here no one was going to say “Well yep Charlotte’s going to be like you know in contention for top four seed.” For Orlando they’re looking at a weekend Eastern Conference and saying “We had one of the top defenses already.” And hey look defense is winning in the NBA right now in the NBA playoffs hello and we can do this and we can we’re okay going into the second apron we’re so sure about our talent there are no short things with this Charlotte Hornets roster right now so you can’t take that swing and uh four first round picks unprotected from Charlotte mean a whole different thing than four from Orlando right now no that’s all true i will say I feel like we haven’t talked in that space a lot i feel like when we talk about taking a risk we discuss really going in and trying to make the postseason oftent times we’re saying you got to get to the postseason in order to be consistent getting to the playoffs we talk about taking the risk and trading couple picks with the Miami pick with the Dallas pick and really going for a superstar sure for Desmond Bane Orlando can do that orlando can make that calculation because they already have the star power i understand that what I’m saying is going back and comparing this conversation to other conversations that we’ve had on this podcast where we’re we’re screaming honestly for the Hornets to take a risk right so if if you’re really talking about taking a risk a risk to me isn’t signing Tobias Harris that’s not I mean it’s it’s like a two-year $50 million deal you can call it a bad contract but it’s not a real risk if we’re talking about going in on something and trying to figure out how to make the postseason a top six spot not not even a top four top six my point is it probably it probably does take going after a Desmond Bane right but now you’re trying to go after you’re trading four first rounders which you and I both agree the Hornets shouldn’t trade four first rounders right now and a pick swap which means if what what so if that if that’s the case what does the risk look like right like that’s my point you can’t get rid of four first round picks and if four first rounders get you Desmond Bane well does two first rounders get you God I don’t I don’t even know like enough to move the needle at all for you to get to the postseason it it’s just the the price for a male Bridges a Desmond Bane is otherworldly it used to be you traded the four first and swaps for the stars but now what you’re doing is you’re trading the the four first and swaps for guys that are like secondary tertiary in male Bridg’s case it’s it’s different when it’s different when it’s different when Orlando does it it’s different when New York does it because their situation is different and that makes it wholly different from the Hornets who have not made the playoffs since 1516 to give away four first round picks that it’s just way riskier they don’t they don’t have as many questions answered and missing and missing on that would mean a lot more to the Charlotte Hornets than it would be to Orlando if like Bane if Bane doesn’t work out in Orlando that’s going to be tough for them but they can still like pivot off of that charlotte wouldn’t have that opportunity right right right and I don’t know if you maybe I’m not articulating this as well enough so I’m going to try to bring this home you’re you’re right about I agree with you i don’t think trading the four firstrounders for Desmond Bane would have been the move for the Hornets to make but you said it’s way riskier and the Hornets aren’t in that situation does that mean that we’re going to be easier on the Hornets for not taking the risk this goound right because the Hornets I agree with you aren’t in that Orlando situation so if they’re not in that Orlando situation or in any of these other situations and then they don’t take the swing to go for the postseason and try to build around Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball with the limited cap space that they have the only way they can really get it done is through trades but if they have to get rid of a lot of first round picks to go get somebody that helps them get to the postseason now then are we going to be okay when they don’t do that because they’re in a different situation from these other squads and what I’m saying is I don’t know if we’ve talked about it in that space the way we’re talking about it now and so for me the Desmond Bane trade really put it into perspective if you really are wanting to take a risk like that buddy it’s going to cost way more than you originally thought because it’s going to take four first rounders and a swap to go get Bane which is why I’m like we’re not going to see much action man this is it this is the This is the thing we’re we’re going to be poking the hornets with a stick and they’re going to be chilling because they’re not in the right situation and we’re going to just see how it all plays out going into the next year we can finish some of those thoughts on the other side coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast everywhere we’ll finish some of those thoughts plus Trey Johnson is he the biggest bust of the guys that we’re talking about that could be there for Charlotte to take at four or somewhere in that range that’s still to come from LOH [Music] this episode is brought to you by Monarch Money ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go between dining out online shopping and entertainment it’s easy to lose track that’s where Monarch Money comes in your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances monarch Money isn’t just a budgeting app it’s a complete financial command center you can track all your accounts investments and spending 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Yeah it it’s interesting to me final thoughts do something that can get LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller to the playoffs not a top six seed not a lock not a not a competitor in the Eastern Conference in the sense of Eastern Conference Finals but do something to get these guys playoff experience so you can answer some of the questions required of you in order to give up four first rounders you got to be on the door they’re not even close to the doorstep they’re standing out in the parking lot you know once they get on the doorstep then we can talk about four first round picks for a guy like Desmond Bane i think it’s a perfect move for Orlando and honestly like they’re not even in the same position as the Grizzlies are because the Grizzlies have answered I think some of those questions it’ll be interesting to see you know if they’re looking at full rebuild if they’ve looked at the playoff situation and say “Hey this doesn’t work let’s come to terms with that we’ll move Bane we’ll move J we’ll move Triple J or maybe we’ll keep one and build around one i don’t know what they’re going to do.” But the reason that they can at least make these moves confidently is because they’ve gone to the postseason and they know what they have and what they don’t have and so that’s all I’m saying like I I want the Hornets to do something and I think if you’re if you’re going to give up four first or four first or five first if you’re the Charlotte Hornets when those have traditionally been lottery like high lottery picks then you better do it for a superstar that you can guarantee is going to take LaMelo and Brandon and say “Come with me boys we’re going to the playoffs.” Well now remember we had a JJ conversation before so we we’ve had the combo about going after Jiren Jackson and we were enticed is that something you go explore now knowing what just happened for Bane or because you just saw what the price was for Bane now you’re just all the way out nope this is not the right situation if it’s going to take four first to go after Bane it’s probably going to take four first to go after Triple J now that I know that price I was interested in it but now I’m out given where the Hornets are now yeah well and how many of those first are unprotected Hornets picks and how many of those involve the Miami pick the Dallas pick that are going to probably be higher picks or you know or lower in the draft I should say lower in the first round you know all of this is all of this is contextual and I think the Hornets would would be well within their right to say “Hey two Hornets unprotected first are actually probably more valuable than four unprotected Magic picks when you consider what was going to the Magic and and what they have in store for them.” So you know I think it’s all contextual but yeah four unprotected first for for Triple J i don’t think that would be a very wise move by the Hornets front office and I don’t think they would do that that would be skipping all the steps that they talk about not wanting to skip okay um you had a LaMelo Ball question too I think you wanted to ask is that something you want to bring to the table here given this Bane trade i don’t really not a question i just think that if you’re talking about local angles of this trade I think it takes one of the teams off of the LaMelo market i mean people had floated Orlando as being a team that needed a primary playmaker because they’ve they’re sort of trying to fit Jaylen Suggs sort of square peg round hole situation there desmond Bane doesn’t really help that so uh I think they’re going to but they but now they’re fully invested moneywise like they’re going to be a second apron team in the next season so uh or two seasons from now and then so they’re not going to go after LaMelo so it just takes one more team off the market if the Hornets were exploring moving him well I was just like if this package was offered to the Hornets for LaMelo Ball if if it was the four first that are unprotected if it was the pick swap for you know you also get the the filler with KCP and Cole Anthony that are rotation players but it’s the filler how much are you entertaining that if you’re the Hornets is that something that you would have expected in return for a possible LaMelo trade i think it makes a lot of sense if they’re going to trade him to a contender then yeah you want to ask for three or four and if you get that back I to me this was a situation where I don’t know that the Grizzlies necessarily wanted they were dying to move Desmond Bane so it’s very similar to the Hornet situation and that I don’t think this franchise is dying to move Lamela Ball they’re not on the phones every day trying to make this thing happen but if someone comes along and says for first that you that again are are going to be probably mid but most likely late first round picks so you’re hoping that you don’t make those picks you’re hoping you can do something like OKC does or other teams do and package those and and reload your team that way it would be tough i think it would be tough for Jeff Peterson to turn that down yeah so to end on that when when we’ve had that discussion of how much you would trade LaMelo I’ve never wanted to trade him but if they were going to I always had this under the caveat if they were going to this is the type of package I would have expected back and been okay with it anything less than four first rounders I would have said no thank you and I would have been frustrated with the front office but when I was thinking about trading the star that LaMelo is I even with all of the shortcomings with the health and whatnot I would have wanted four first rounders in return and it goes to show you just how surprising it is that Desmond Bane got that in return um I would have I this is the one where if you wanted to trade LaMelo then this is the one where I would have been okay with it but yeah it’s it’s an interesting landscape in the NBA let’s move on doug I know you came across an interesting article about Trey Johnson uh yes this was from Jeremas of the 5×5 Substack which is part of Royce Web’s network a very smart guy when it comes to the NBA draft so is Jeremias so I take you know I take what they say uh seriously i don’t necessarily agree with everything uh but Jeremas does this write up uh that is essentially profiling why Trey Johnson may be a bust in fact Jeremas believes Trey Johnson will be a bust and the reasoning here is that his college stats are filled with red flags low steel rate 1.6 6 per 100 possessions despite Ingleman in his film analysis sees like Trey Johnson gambling a lot on defense and yet not coming away with a good steal rate poor block and rebounding numbers ineffective help defense almost no defensive playmaking and look this is not new analysis trey Johnson like the big con on him is the defense was almost non-existent and either you’re buying that he has some of the physical tools and has a desire you know and if the Hornets were smart and I think they are they’re going to get this guy in a room and see if he’s really committed to the defensive end of the floor or not and if maybe there were some issues with coaching and issues with his role in Texas that caused some of the things that people are seeing on film including bad body language including sort of giving up a little bit on the defensive end on plays where you know you’re talking about multiple actions where like the first thing you know you get through the first action and sort of give up on the play situation and some of that stuff does show up in Trey Johnson’s film and it and it does make it tougher for a team like Charlotte to take that risk on him when they’ve got LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller who aren’t exactly defensive studs yet right and so the more God Almighty I’m struggling Doug i need help you need help on the Flammens end god almighty I I should I’m sorry i am sorry to the people listening this today we got four more days of this this week deal with it i apologize um you go back to Hawk draft Hawk draft day one of five it’s It is the Hawk draft it’s It’s been Yes it’s been like the the five days of the Hawk drafts all those names that I just mentioned that were considered overpays for fringe all-star players since 2022 what’s interesting about all of them Doug is they’re all either straight up two-way players or focus even more so on defense pascal Seakum goes for three first defensive player desmond Bane really good at defense four first male Bridges same thing rudy Goar is like a 17 time defensive player of the year and he went for the four first so all four of those guys that were considered overpaid for they all play defense the other thing I was thinking about listening to Bill Simmons Go ahead i can’t do it go ahead all right so well we’ll get to the Bill Simmons thing in a second but you you point to a couple of guys there and Jeremiah’s had a couple of other guys where he’s talking about shooting guards who are successful particularly role- playinging shooting guards that are not like automatic superstars how did they succeed in the league and over and over you’re seeing guys like Jaylen Suggs in Orlando you’re seeing guys like Christian Brown in Denver and they’re doing it vi and Dyson Daniels obviously I mean he does he does defense to a crazy extent you’re not expecting that from Trey Johnson but I think Suggs and and Brown are the better example guys that are effective offensively to even like a Suggs who’s like very effective offensively but they are committed to the defensive end of the floor those are the guys that are hanging around playoff type teams at the shooting guard position and have wiggled their way into starting roles on those teams and so The question is Trey Johnson can he do that or is he going to be in a Tyler Hero hole until he’s so good offense that’s a Hero was a sixman because he couldn’t stay on the floor defensively until he was so good offensively and and Miami sort of regressed as a team talent-wise that Tyler Hero it’s like “All right well I guess we got to start this guy is that going to be the path for Trey Johnson?” And if it is again that’s it does make it more difficult for the Charlotte Hornets to make that calculation if they don’t feel like and it makes it it makes it I think make more sense in my mind that the Hornets have been linked towards VJ Edgecom obviously but now you’re starting to hear the whispers of Khan Canipple more than Trey Johnson around the Hornets because I think Khan for all the lack of athleticism his IQ defensively is really great and he plays physically as a defender so if he’s in the half court you’re less worried about him than you would be a Trey Johnson to make a second attempt on this all those guys I just mentioned were defensive players listening to Zack Low and Bill Simmons do a recap on game four in the NBA Finals zack Low started thinking about just how crazy physical the NBA playoffs has been it’s always been physical even more so in 2025 than in years past the last couple NBA Finals games the Pacers aren’t considered soft at all you got some really physical players on that roster but even with them having Miles Turner and Tyrese Hallebertton they have players all around them that are considered ready for the smoke who are the guys if we continue to try to learn our lessons in the postseason who are the guys that are crazy valuable in these series it’s the guys that play defense not even at an average level Doug but at a really high level and can take the physical postseason beating a slog of a series three or four depending on how good you are as a basketball team so then once we start to bring those factors into the equation who are the prospects that can check those boxes off VJ Edgecomb and Khan Canipple but not even really defensively in terms of point of attack like no it’s VJ it’s VJ that’s it i I that I’ve been kind of roller coastering i’ve never gone off of VJ but the more I think about it the more I watch the NBA dwindle down to the NBA finals the more I just feel like VJ Edgecomb is the one that makes the most sense continuously makes the most sense coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast beast everywhere we have two more hawk drafts to get to on day 52 of 61 last segment loa [Music] that’s a foul that’s a foul right there all right doug Branson going to give you the mock drafts and also going to foul like he’s uh giving a flagrant foul in the NBA finals the NBA playoffs they’re in full swing every night delivers highlightw worthy performances major momentum shifts and can’t miss moments whether it’s a game-winning shot or a breakout player there’s never been a better time to get in on the action fanduel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live with player props performance trends and same game parlays fans have more ways than ever to win play smart and win big you can choose what players are showing up in the biggest moments how you could be also tracking their trends that could help you build your next bet either way just go to FanDuel and if you’re new to FanDuel it’s the perfect time to sign up head to fanduel.com place your first $5 bet if it wins you’ll get $200 in bonus bets make every moment more with FanDuel official sports betting partner of the NBA more lockdown Hornets ahead [Music] hawk draft number one what you got for the people here Doug all right CBS Sports really quickly here gary Parish has the Charlotte Hornets select he actually has the Philadelphia 76ers at three selecting Trey Johnson who we just talked about and they have the Charlotte Hornets selecting VJ Edgecom to me that’s that’s like ideal scenario whether it’s Ace Bailey Trey Johnson you know Philly making that pick someone else coming up to get those get Ace Bailey or Trey Johnson and then VJ Edgecomb slotting at four that’s perfect i think the more dangerous situation is VJ going at three and then the Hornets facing a little bit of a tougher situation and then because you committed me to two I’m not giving you Bleacher Report i’m giving you Bleacher Nation which I don’t think has any affiliation with Bleacher Report it’s just Bleacher Nation giving you a round one mock and the Charlotte Hornets after VJ Edgecom goes three the situation I just talked about Charlotte Hornets select Ace Bailey the Hornets have been looking for versatile running mates at the wing ever since they drafted Lavell Ball brandon Miller looked to be the real deal from the jump while Tan Salon will likely be a project piece moving forward Ace Bailey would be something in between he has a smooth shooting stroke to immediately make an impact as a pull-up or catch and shoot threat however he will need some time to learn NBA physicality and hone his ball handling skills yeah so now here we are in a spot where VJ might even be the favorite to go number three and that shifts how we’ve talked about the draft pretty dramatically because VJ Edgecom was the favorite to go number four now all these reports are that he’s going to go number three and if that’s the case should we be focusing a lot more on a con nipple we did a little bit with Trey Johnson but now I mean it that wasn’t even the most glowing review of Trey Johnson it says Trey Johnson bust on the second bullet point so I look we gota we got to figure out our framing here around the last couple of weeks to figure out okay if VJ is gone then I’ll get choked up about it and I just look if VJ if VJ’s if VJ’s gone I think the I think it’s a big F i’m starting not to believe this VJ stuff i just feel like the stuff that comes out the two weeks before the draft is all nonsense uh the nonsense is only going to get louder i’m not sure i think Ace Bailey goes three i think people talent always wins out in these drafts unless Ace just went in and didn’t ace any of these interviews and that stuff will come out though that that will come out I think right the days before the draft we started hearing stuff about LaMelo not doing well in some of his interviews like I think that’s going to come out then we’ll know for sure all right Ace is due for a slip but until then I’m not believing it i think Ace still goes three i think the Hornets will have an opportunity to select BJ4 and they would be wise to just slam that button and do it yeah it it I I think so too i think so too all right that’ll do it for Lockdown Hornets i uh I need to end today’s show man it’s been a brutal show for your boy not a good one i did not ace this show to start off the week i think I think the analysis was perfect thank you sir i appreciate that all right Doug Branson go check him out locked on NBA everyhornetsboxcore.com he’s everywhere folks again doug Branson every hornetsboxcore.com i’m walking this is the sickness by the way this is what the sickness does to you it infects you i’m literally sick going in i’m I’m so scared my stomach is in knots i’m literally sick thinking about what the Hornets might do at 4 or beyond in a tradeback scenario walker mail listen to me hawk it up to uh 927 FM Sports Radio 927 WFNZ on Wesson Walker 12 to3 have a great rest of your day we’ll be back with you tomorrow heat hey Heat [Music]

A blockbuster Desmond Bane trade has major implications for the Hornets’ rebuild — but is Charlotte willing to pay the price? Plus, mock draft boards shift again and the case against Tre Johnson picks up steam.

On this episode of Locked On Hornets, Walker and Doug break down the stunning trade that sent Desmond Bane to Orlando for a massive haul — four unprotected first-round picks and a swap. Is this just the going rate for fringe stars now? And what does it mean for the Charlotte Hornets, a team still searching for an identity and direction? The guys discuss whether the Hornets could or should have made a similar offer and what kind of risk is actually worth taking at this stage of the rebuild.

They also get into the shifting 2025 NBA Draft landscape, including a revealing report by Jeremias Engelmann casting serious doubt on Tre Johnson’s defensive commitment and statistical indicators. Could Johnson really be this year’s biggest bust? With VJ Edgecombe’s stock possibly rising to No. 3, and whispers of Kon Kneuppel gaining steam, the Hornets’ board could look a lot different in the final weeks before the draft.

Englemann article: https://www.roycewebb.com/p/the-case-against-tre-johnson-why

Plus: how playoff defense is shaping draft philosophy, why Walker is sick (literally and metaphorically) over the Hornets’ options at 4, and a quick rundown of two new mock drafts with surprising scenarios.

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Top 35 Hornets Nicknames of All-Time According to Doug Branson: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-nicknames-in-hornets-franchise

Top 35 Hornets of All-Time According to Walker Mehl: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-players-in-hornets-history

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