DRAFT DAY: What will Hornets do at #4? Bailey, Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, or trade back for vets?

DRAFT DAY: What will Hornets do at #4? Bailey, Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, or trade back for vets?

lots of draft day scenarios It’s draft day Okay we only have two more mocks We only have one more mock before we get to the first round tonight What in the hell are the Charlotte Hornets going to do are they standing pad are they going to trade up are they going to trade down are they going to trade all around are they going to do the hokeyp pokey and shake it all about i don’t know what they’re going to do but we throw a whole lot of draft content in your face today locked on Hornets And that’s what it’s all about 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] It’s Locked On Hornets part of the Locked On Network It’s your team every offenders of this where we try to say rapid fire and then it’s nowhere close It’s a 40-minute pod It could be a four-hour radio show that we try to jam-pack into three and then I’d have a whole bunch of leftover topics So I’m not going to do that today Doug I’m not going to do it We’re going to go through it We’re going to go rapid fire a whole bunch of draft content for your face Okay we got a bunch of mock drafts all over the place You’re the keeper of the mock drafts just like you are the sticko satchel what do you want to lead off with today well just what the hell are the Hornets going to do because that’s that’s the big question on everyone’s mind I think they’re the most mysterious team uh in this sort of top seven eight range And I know that the draft technically starts with what the Philadelphia 76ers are going to do at the three pick Uh but I think if you look at how the mock drafts have shaken out I think there are several that have the Hornets taking VJ Edgecom VJ Edgecom falling past the Philadelphia 76ers That’s been the guy that really all along this process has been connected with the Charlotte Hornets and only more recently started to rise to the level of number three As we saw the other guy that’s being mocked to the Charlotte Hornets Ace Bailey fall a few slots but several mockdrafts still have the Hornets saying “Forget it Don’t care that he didn’t work out for us We’re going to just take the talent and either figure it out or try to trade him anyhow.” And then you still have a few mockdrafts out there connecting Khan Canipple to the Charlotte Hornets And then you have other reports saying that all of that Khan Canipple talk is double secret smokec screen Yeah And we’re all just sitt sitting here left with this idea that nobody knows anything Which is what I’ve been preaching on this whole draft process for the past five or six years Nobody has any idea what anyone’s going to do And and I love it All right Draft day predictions Okay Here’s what I got Yeah Number one if VJ Edgecom is there they’re gonna take him and call it a day I like that We’re not going to look to move up and down the board If VJ Edgecom is available at number four and Daryl my just decides to take Ace Bailey if they decide to take Khan Canipple if VJ Edgecom is there at four that’s going to be the Hornets selection That’s the first option Why did they do that because he fits a whole bunch of stuff that the Hornets need And he does a lot of winning stuff And defensively he looks a lot like the guards that just ate up all the other teams in the NBA postseason that play for OKC There are a lot of winning plays that he makes defensively He’s not a perfect prospect but he fits very well with what this team needs There’s some overlap and he could be the best player available and he also fits a perfect need with what this team um is looking to accomplish going forward I think there are a lot of reasons as to why VJ Edgecom is that pick at number four if he’s available Would you agree yeah They would be essentially doing the same thing that they tried to do with the acquisition of Josh Green Uh they would just be doing it at a slightly cheaper contract and and he’s going to get to slide in immediately if if Josh Green misses part of the year after having shoulder surgery but they’re trying to transform the defense And then of course with VJ you’re going to get so much more upside than what you have with Josh Green right now because there is the potential for him to turn into a shooter there’s potential for him to be a slasher I mean I think he can get to the rim already There are questions about what he does when he gets to the rim Now I will ask you this rapid fire style We did get some information from uh Jeremy Woo and Phony Gavone that that VJ Edgecom looked a little nervous in his private workout for the Philadelphia 76ers and did not perform very well at least shooting wise when he was in an unnatural oneon-one setting But he did do great in the interviews Are you concerned about that intel i didn’t even know that intel was out there I did not Breaking news I just broke it to rapid fire Breaking news Not really I I don’t I don’t want him to look nervous in a one-on-one setting but we’re not going to be playing one-on-one in the NBA That’s right Five on five last time I checked That’s right That’s right So much of the selling on VJ Edgecomb is what he does for a team defensively That’s so much of the selling point with the offensive stuff coming along as he grows and matures into his NBA role The other things he does offensively is even if I am a little worried about the handle he does get to the free throw line quite a bit which is something this team doesn’t have a lot of especially out there on the perimeter He does get to the rim Even if you’d like to see him finish a little bit better he does get to the cup better than what a lot of people on the perimeter for this team right now So I think that’s a selling point for VJ And defensively I just think there’s a lot of potential I I think that guy is going to buy in to everything he needs to do That’s my VJ Edgecomb sales pitch I think he’s the pick if he’s there at number four Yeah The reason uh he was nervous and that it was an unnatural 1v one setting is because the Philadelphia 76ers made him play 1v1 against Dr J It’s tough Don’t want to beat up on the old man Wait what’s going on here why do I have to play Dr J edgecom is a physical player There’s no reason to be physical with Dr J Number two VJ Edgecom is off the board What do the Hornets do i think they trade back I think that happens tonight Doug If VJ is off the board I think at number four Washington is going to look to get that four spot to secure Ace Bailey or Brooklyn is going to look to jump up to that four spot to secure Ace Bailey Eight is the furthest back I’d feel comfortable moving There is some RJ Barrett stuff out there Toronto does have the nine pick I don’t know if the Hornets would be interested in moving back to nine collecting RJ and some assets That would be the kind of bet that you make if you’re looking to make some noise in the Eastern Conference next year It’s not great but it’s also one of those moves on the margins You don’t have to give a lot up There’s something there with RJ Maybe the third time is the charm with Mr Barrett coming back to a state that he played college basketball in But anyways I’d rather just move back to Brooklyn If Cam Johnson’s a part of it great If one of the five first round picks is a part of it or two of the five first round picks they have is a part of it then really great But I do think Brooklyn is loading up on all of these first round picks to make a move to get to the top And the other thing we haven’t mentioned enough I don’t know how many people are in the building over there in Brooklyn anymore that have a real familiarity with Jeff Peterson but remember this was Jeff Peterson’s old stop So if there’s anybody that could grease the wheels on a deal taking place it might be someone that knows how that organization operates That’s Jeff Peterson Number two Doug VJ Edgecomb off the board I think they trade back Oh okay What do you think oh wow No sorry I Well sorry I was pulling up It’s rapid fire It’s I I’m trying to hold true to my First of all first of all that didn’t feel very rapid fire Second of all cuz I didn’t know when Not when you paused before you’d speak You’re right I didn’t know when you were See this is tearing us apart All of these mock drafts being in different directions Jeff Peterson is tearing us apart I was looking up cleaning the glass numbers on RJ Barrett I because I’m really scared that they’re going to trade for RJ Barrett and I’m not going to like it Um I I don’t know what his I need to see what his contract is how much is left but not a very efficient offensive player I think if they trade back for a player I want them to trade back either for a three-point shooter or somebody that can can continue to help them transform the defense Maybe RJ Barrett can do that a little bit but really I mean not a very off not a very efficient offensive player I just don’t love that for them I think if what would be interesting I don’t think San Antonio would want to jump back into the top five But if they did man I mean if they take Dylan Harper number two then Devin Vel seems to be an odd man out I heard that on locked on Spurs today And I would love if the Hornets could find a way to to and maybe maybe it’s moving back to eight and then trading with San Antonio and moving back again I don’t know what the scenario would be but I would love to acquire Deon Vel I think Cory Kiss is another name to look at with Washington Then you again you’re adding a shooter somebody that can come in and help you improve particularly off the bench Uh it’s really a question of like how serious are the Hornets about competing because as we’ll talk about in the next segment there have been a flurry of moves in in both conferences Uh but there have been a flurry of moves to set teams up We saw Atlanta acquire Christos Porzingis I think there are some teams that are looking at the Eastern Conference and they’re saying “Hey there’s an opportunity here if we make a few moves there’s an opportunity here to compete where maybe we couldn’t in previous years Uh so yeah it’ll be very interesting to see what their philosophy is and how much they’re willing to risk to make that happen for the Charlotte Hornets Yeah each tradeback candidate has a veteran that you could go after at Washington Cory Kisspert New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans close to the water and and you sound underwater right now I I sound underwater just dying That was a That was a dead one Herb Jones for New Orleans That would be fantastic Would love to see him And And I even just was listening to the Bill Simmons pod Chris Manx brought his name up as a potential uh candidate for other teams to go trade for So Cory Kispert Herb Jones Cam Johnson RJ Barrett or any other veteran I think those are four guys And then you mentioned Deon Vel of San San Antonio wanted to trade back up Last thing just real quickly for a third prediction If they can’t find a tradeback partner if it just doesn’t work out they can’t come to terms on an agreement VJ Edgecom is off the board What do the Hornets do there it’s between Trey Johnson and Khan Canipple I don’t know I buy into the Khan Canipple sources I buy into it And I think everything has been running so much so that the Hornets are going to take Coniple I think they tried to put something out there that it’s all just a smoke screen I’m going to go and he’s the favorite right now I believe according to FanDuel he’s the he’s the favorite to be selected by the Hornets at four So in in that scenario I think Khan is the pick at four And then I I I don’t think Ace Bailey is going to be taken at four by the Hornets with their intent to keep him in a Hornets uniform I feel very confident that Ace Bailey make fun of me all you want to I’ll deserve it with that confident kind of pick I could be loud I could be wrong I’ve been both before I don’t think Ace Bailey is going to be playing for the Hornets Coniple uh basketball pedigree both his mom and dad uh played ball and you’re doing a bet on safe You’re doing a bet on two-way play that’s going to right off the rip two-way play Uh with Trey Johnson it’s more about defensive upside Can you Was the Texas situation weird for him it didn’t seem like he really vied with his coach and the system there You know he can shoot There is a little bit more star upside with Trey Johnson And there’s self-creation with Trey more so than Khan Like the self-creation is really there with they both Yeah exactly They both can shoot but you’re gonna have to set Khan up whereas Trey can set himself up And so then you get into sort of these upside like can he be a Tyler Hero level player but then you get in the danger Is he going to be early Malik Monk where we saw him struggle with Charlotte to stay on the floor because defensively he just didn’t have it and Steve Clifford wasn’t having him not having it And I don’t think Charles Lee would either if that were the same thing So that that’s the danger there with that pick is can he get enough early minutes on a team that is prioritizing defense Rapid fire predictions We move on Coming up next on the Lockown Hornets podcast everywhere Now what’s interesting is Trey man is healthy His agent Shams he’s telling you that Trey man is healthy just in time for contract negotiations Shocker There are a few shooting guards in play for the Hornets to take We’ve talked about how it might affect Josh Green How would it affect Trey Man free agency The negotiation period starts on June 30th just a few days after the draft How is their draft pick going to affect what the Hornets do with Trey Man there are a lot of things interesting to discuss about that guy Coming up next LOH [Music] This episode is brought to you by Open Shirania Uh really carrying the water for Trey Man’s agent I mean if you look at what this tweet was I’m pulling it up right now so I can get it verbatim But Treyman we’ve seen him working out with the Hornets quite a bit at Queens He’s been involved with some of the videos that Miles Bridges might post to Instagram or whoever Right Here’s what Shams tweets Heading into Hornets’s restricted free agency Trey man has fully recovered from his back disc herniation which limited him to just 13 games last season and has participated in all of Charlotte’s offseason activity and five on fives His agent Aaron Turner said not even hiding it which is good We’re not listening to sources here We’re listening to the source Aaron Turner His agent is telling you that Trey man is all good to go So it Shams is tweeting this out carrying the water for his agent Also I’m glad to hear it I don’t want to hear anything to the contrary I’m glad that Trey is healthy We’ve seen him work out in the off season He’s been undergoing rehab By the way what you know the weird stuff that where Trey man actually didn’t do an exit day interview and he was the only one not there And by the time I could ask about it I had to go do a show because exit day was going on He was actually at a rehab facility at that time So we didn’t have any clarity but I got some clarity Trey man was going through rehab at the time I know he wasn’t there for the Hornets day either whatever that was But he’s good that I I I buy into it right now How much should that dictate how the Hornets operate i I don’t know Um it it is an interesting factor here Doug that we haven’t talked about a lot that you have all of these backcourt players that you’re interested in with VJ with Trey Johnson with Khan Canipple Does that influence how they operate here with Trey Mann who isn’t slated to get a ton of money hell we talked about 13 possibly being too much and I don’t think he gets 13 So it’s like is it just the qualifying offer at that point you probably just go ahead and sign up for the depth at the qualifying offer How does this Trey man process play out Doug well I think that it is interesting timing because certainly the agent would have already communicated with the Hornets and the Hornets are going to know have some kind of clarity uh just you know through the grave vine or having met with him during the offseason So like this early part of the offseason so they know what his health status is So to me this is about other teams and whether that means other teams vying for him in restricted free agency because if he doesn’t get you know if some team doesn’t come along and give him an offer more than the Hornets qualifying offer then the Hornets then he either has to sign that qualifying offer or they have to come to some deal that’s going to be more friendly for the Hornets Or this could be about just getting the word out to other teams in a possible sign and trade scenario around the draft uh that could land Trey man in another location with a better contract than maybe he would have had if he just stuck out in the restricted free agency process So I think anything is on the table Uh I think the Hornets would be if if they’re confident that he’s fully healthy that he’s fully recovered and that there aren’t going to be any other issues associated with this next season then I think they would be smart to bring him back And I don’t think it affects what they have to do with the draft because I think of the wings available other than like Trey Johnson I think like Trey Johnson to me maps a little close to what you would get with Trey Mann But VJ Edgecomb or uh Khan Canipple I think those wings to me fit perfectly with what you’re trying to do with Trey Man off the bench Whether those players start or play off the bench you really in today’s NBA you know you’re hardressed to have too many wings Uh although fe the Phoenix Suns with with their recent additions are stretching the bounds of that a little bit but I think the Hornets are going to be fine taking honestly any of those three players and keeping Trey man You know we’re we’re looking for bang for your buck and we had that exercise that was fun It was spawned from a Siko satchel question where we had to try to build a starting five with all the available free agents but we could not spend a dime a penny more than $20 million bringing in all of those players And it was hard to do Like I I got Trey Jones who had an excellent finish to last season before he got injured but that ate up almost 50% of my salary at $9 million And yet that would still at $9 million be a bargain right malik Beasley signed a one-year contract with Detroit last year for $6 million and eventually became a sixman of the year candidate So it’s really tough to find who your Malik Beasley is Trey Mann fits that profile the kind of guy that is not going to make a lot of money And then oh my god Trey man are you kidding me this guy’s awesome Where have we been well it’s okay you weren’t watching the Hornets play basketball in those 13 games that he suited up last year or in the 30 games that he suited up the year prior It’s okay that you’re not watching Hornets basketball but he’s got this kind of talent He was one of the more beloved players here in Hornets land before he went down with that injury You talk about bang for your buck Doug if you get him on the qualifying offer or really anything less than $10 million per year Yeah that’s the kind of guy that could explode and parlay that into a multi-year $20 million a year deal or like something along the Malik Beasley timeline except he’s a decent amount younger than Malik Beasley I I that that’s the kind of guy to me a team it would be a shrewd move for them to offer him maybe just a little bit more than what the Hornets are willing to go to and see if it works out especially in the Eastern Conference where it’s wide open No I totally agree I think um I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what I mean Trey Mann and Mark Williams how those how those two situations play out and if the Hornets are willing to move on from one or more of those players uh in order to shift this shift a again shift a core a lineup that really hasn’t done much like there’s no there’s no resume here to build off of to say well you know we should probably keep most of this together and just see no I I think the evaluation period is over I don’t think Hornets fans would have any problem with significant shifts in this uh rotation even though they didn’t really get a chance to see it fully healthy and play last season Um okay Do you want to get to another topic or move on to a fun sicko satchel question in the last segment yeah No I want to go rapid fire sicko satchel in the because we have a few fun questions I still have to do my 60th mock draft 60 of 61 We’re almost there folks I’ve got one final first round mock to give and then tomorrow we’ll do a second round mock Also subscribe to YouTube because uh what with whatever time I have I’m going to jump on there and do some live stuff uh around the pick Uh I think I’ll be talking to Nick Carboni today So check out WCNC’s uh offerings on the draft Uh so I’ll be doing that I know Walker you’re going to be doing some stuff with the locked on network to recap the pick as well So we’re going to be all over the place not doing a live show this year but you will see our faces plenty tonight and uh tomorrow Final final question before we get to the Siko Central though we’ve seen a flurry of trades so far I mean a lot of trades heading into the and I think we’ll see a lot more today before we ever get to the start of the NBA draft Are you a little worried that that the Hornets have not popped up yet like would you be disappointed if we get through this draft and they take a player at four a player at 33 and a player at 34 and they do nothing else well this is where I I don’t know To answer your question I don’t think so I I don’t want them to just get involved to just get involved for let’s do something’s sake I’d rather them do something smart if they’re going to do something But am I jealous of not going after Drew Holiday yeah Drew Holiday would have been a fun culture guy I don’t quite get what Portland was doing with only getting Drew Holiday and actually they were the one giving up picks to go get Drew for a Simon’s expiring contract We said this yesterday don’t get weird I don’t want the Hornets to get weird Drew Holiday would have been a fun player to go after and see what kind of competitive nature we could play with next year but I’m not jealous of not going after Drew Holiday CJ McCollum no Like I I Jordan P No Chris Daps Porzingis I that doesn’t seem like the move to make either Um I don’t know what you’d be giving up So no I’m not nervous not jealous I think right now so far I’d be okay with it What about you i would be nervous I think that they weren’t going to do anything but also understanding that there would be time Free agency starts on June 30th There are there’s going to be time to make moves uh between now and the beginning of the season And I would just have to lean back on this idea that you know fingers crossed they could see healthy development from LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller and whoever they end up with in all of these picks And I think they can get some good players at 33 34 that could contribute as well Uh but I you know if they don’t do anything significant through the rest of this offseason I will see it as a missed opportunity because this now they could you know this young core could just develop very quickly and prove me wrong but this seems like an opportunity to compete in a weak Eastern Conference and get some of these players playoff experience that they desperately need So yeah I mean I would feel yeah if they just go scratch and go 4 33 34 I would feel a little bit nervous about what this roster is going to look like because because if they did that it would remain a young roster Um it would remain an inexperienced roster and you know I think the the ceiling’s pretty low on that kind of thing So we’ll see Uh would you have traded would you trade 33 34 and whoever is equivalent to George Nang um or Terrence man excuse me for Chris Porzingis The Christophorzingis thing is weird I mean the sickness that he had last year that nobody could figure out what it was Uh that is a that is a weird situation that I’m not sure you know it’s always the thing with the Hornets People particularly my co-host Unlocked on NBA like to ask me would you go for Zion or would you go for KP or Da D and it’s always like can can one name float to the Hornets that doesn’t have like a laundry list of injury issues that’s the thing like how could they possibly make a move for a player that has all of these injury issues when they’ve experienced injury after injury uh to their their main core of players I mean I think if they The truth is it’s because they’re available Yeah Like it’s it’s because they’re available Not all players are available because they because they have a huge injury list Not all play that’s not the situation for every single player So I you know I don’t like I know I know you’re not going to find you’re not going to find somebody with a clean bill of health I mean it’s the NBA They’ve been playing basketball a long time everybody gets injured But I mean you know Zion Williamson and KP that’s a lot of baggage I’m not I’m not necessarily sure I’m willing to sign up for all of that No no no I’m with you So yeah that that’s what I’m saying Like in Drew Holiday he’s 37 Giving up Anthony Simons Like I kind of want to go after Anthony Simons to some degree and have him play That’d be that’d be fun Um anyways let’s move on Coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast everywhere Mockdraft sicko satchel questions A lot to get to Rapid fire coming up next L [Music] This episode is brought to you by Sicko satchel question You are the keeper of the This This is your time to shine Keeper of the Siko satchel keeper of the mock drafts Lead us off here Doug What you got right Before I get to the satchel I was perusing making sure that there was no breaking news You know this is breaking news time So I was perusing X.com the the little list that I have of national NBA reporters No breaking news yet but I also have a list of Hornets players If they tweet anything I you know keep track of it And I saw Mark Williams reposted this list from NBA University of the most efficient scorers last year among the top 100 uh players in points per game And Mark Williams is on this list He’s actually number five on this list at a 64.7% true shooting percentage 15 points per game Christian Braun Nicolola Joic Sabonis Aaron Gordon Durant Zubach Zack Lavine Shay Gil just Alexander Mobly that’s the rest of the top 10 But Mark Williams reposting that that’s pretty funny What’s less funny is that in the replies somebody posted the least efficient scores among top 100 in points per game Miles Bridges number 90 Brandon Miller number 91 Oh god LaMelo Ball number 94 They’ve got three in the bottom 10 least efficient scores among the top 100 in points per game So yeah I think they should make a move Well well right It It’s like the who do they go after though right like this is this is the whole I said already I I know Well well okay Yeah Deon Vel would be fun I’d like to go after Deon Vel I don’t know where he It’d be funny though if we just talked about it and then he falls even further down the list uh than uh than those guys that we just talked about and they just parlayed Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller um into Deon Vel Okay go sicko Satchel question What you got jay Brown Buzz City What’s your pick for Hornets best Hornets draft in history as well as the worst for worst 2021 is obviously a strong candidate but my hot take is that we blew the 2011 draft the most We traded StackJack and Shawn Livingston Woohoo bobcats talk for Cory Mcedi at number seven and that was used on Bism Biombo Then at number nine yes Kimba was good but but laid the names after him Clay Kawhai Jimmy Butler Vu Tobias Harris etc And number three if we wanted a small AllNBA point guard we could have just snagged Isaiah Thomas in the second round Mr Irrelevant in that draft but instead sold the 39th pick for cash Oh that’s bringing back memories selling second round picks for cash Uh I guess someone upstairs thought we had too much talent We then won seven games the following season Uh so best and worst draft Does 2011 rank worse than 2021 it’s it’s bad It’s a good list of reasons as to why that’s the worst one You know we’ve been looking at the 2021 draft class you know a couple times now And it is hilarious just how terribly each of those guys flamed out of the organization You you got to understand you’re talking about two top 20 picks Doug Two of them James Book Knight is not in the league right now He’s not playing for an NBA roster It’s 2025 He was selected in 2021 He didn’t play for an NBA team last year Two years done Kai Jones different circumstances He is in the league I think he’s on his fourth stop right now after he was released by the Hornets But neither one of those guys suited up for the Hornets very much and they didn’t give us a whole lot of memories They gave us some bad memories The other thing is I always go back to this that trade where where they when they traded up back into the first round to go get Kai Jones They didn’t have control of that first round pick that they gave up and everybody loved the protections on it which is great I’m glad that the Hornets were able to use their first round picks but it kept us out of the sweep stakes for a Donovan Mitchell to where now we just don’t have as many assets to go after Donovan I know the Hornets were interested in him Okay they were So if the Hornets were interested in Donovan Mitchell but they don’t have the assets to compete with Cleveland They don’t have the assets to compete with New York because they didn’t have control of another first round pick So while these other teams could offer four the Hornets could only offer three at the time So these are all that remember too I will say this I don’t know if the Hornets were ever interested in going after SGAA but do you remember a few years ago when there were some rumblings about hey maybe OKC is just ready to blow it up again this was before I This is like around the Jaylen Williams Chad Homegrren draft I It was like It was hard to parse out It was like is this real that they want to get off of SGA i don’t know how real it was but I do remember saying we should make a play if it’s at all like the door is open even just a tiny tiny bit but you couldn’t do it So the way that it kept you from being in the sweep stakes for some of these stars the way that your first round picks your top 20 picks flamed out the way that they did it’s hard for me to go anywhere else outside of 2021 Yeah that’s the thing You got zero in 2011 You got Kimell Walker It wasn’t just he was good He’s the greatest player in franchise history That that elevates 2011 far far past I I would rank it honestly because of that I would rank it as one of the best Um I don’t think it’s it’s certainly not the worst but I understand Um it was a weird transition Uh Bobcats by the way Bismibo if he doesn’t play this year that’s it for the Bobcats They’re extinct Bismbo the last Bobcat standing in the league Is that right my god Yeah The guy drafted ahead of Kima and yet we still have somehow fell backwards into our best draft pick Uh best draft That’s tough because I mean you know you would sort of automatically go to the ones where they had the top picks early on Alonzo Morning in ‘ 92 second overall selection Larry Johnson number one overall selection Those obviously brought uh you know levels of talent maybe we that we haven’t seen since uh with the Charlotte Hornets Um tough Yeah So I mean you could go with either of those Honestly I would say 2019 PJ Washington Cody Martin Jaylen McDaniels just in terms of like just in terms of like hitting because even those two drafts with LJ and Zo the second round picks didn’t do much The Hornets have rarely crushed it that hard Um so you know I just say getting contributions from all three of those players being able to trade all three of those players and get back assets Cody Martin the first second round pick to sign an extension for the franchise PJ Washington you netted you got some good memories and you netted a first round pick for him I I I think I think they nailed the 2019 draft more than they’ve nailed any other draft They they did a good job I’ve got a I got a sneaky one for you How about 1999 baron Davis 30 That was my other one That was my other one Oh that’s my nails baby I love Lee Nalon If anybody asked me who’s my favorite obscure Hornet it’s Lee Nalon who was actually just flatout good for this team when they needed him to step up in the absence of Jamal Mashburn being hurt He was the 43rd overall pick Lee Nalon was awesome for this team So Baron Davis third pick 43rd pick was Lee I don’t know what other picks were missing because basketball reference does that stupid thing The NBA does the stupid thing where Devonte Graham is isn’t even mentioned a part of the Hornets draft history when you go look it up because he was traded for So he’s not on the Hornets draft history when you go to basketball reference I hate it I don’t know what players were missing Perhaps that would change our answer But 1999 I like 2019 as well And then you’re going back further I think that’s kind of it Doug I think you’re right Those are the two answers What else you got okay let me get back to my note here I’m still on looking at draft history I’ve got I’ve got one from Rod Marorrow who literally I I’ll tell you this okay our buddy Rod from the Black Guy Who Tips podcast friend of the show just awesome dude Here’s what he writes Are y’all done recording Locked On This is at 9:16 I said literally literally starting the third segment right now He says “Okay I have a sicko question If the Hornets move back and Ace Bailey keeps dropping at what point would you be like “Okay just draft him.” Like say they traded down to nine and he was still on the board Would you draft him then or traded to 13 and he’s still there at what point would you just say “Okay I can’t pass up on Ace Bailey anymore.” Even if the idea is you trade back because a team wants to come up and get Ace but maybe they pull the old switcheroo and they don’t take him Would you take him at eight nine 10 what’s the answer for you Doug if Khan Canipple is still on the board I’m taking Khan Canipple If he’s not and Trey Johnson is gone and VJ Edgecom is gone then yeah fine Let’s go talent I think you’d be hard it’d be hardressed for a team with 19 wins to pass up on that talent at that position And then you just hope that you’ve already built up enough culture and enough Hornets’s DNA and that Charles Lee uh can sort of set a vibe for him very early on and that his management gets out of the way and lets him just play basketball Although I I saw the quote from him that said it said he put he’s put on this is Ace Bailey saying this right that he’s already put on 20 pounds of muscle Like what what now come on 20 pounds of muscle Come on I don’t believe you He weighed less I think he weighed less at the combine than what Ruckers had him listed at He put on 20 Okay The the the measurement myth measurement myths from Ace Bailey being 610 and gaining 20 pounds of muscle They they are carrying on life of its own I think for me the real question like Yakaton is a race Bailey What would the Hornets do in that scenario you know come on Yeah Are you getting too cute yeah I’m with you If if all those other guys are off the board that you just mentioned then I I’ll take I’ll take Ace at eight Um but the other thing is if you trade it back to 10 or nine with Toronto and he’s still there now you have to wonder why Now now it’s like okay I don’t think you have to wonder I think you know exactly why Okay And then the question is are you willing to just deal with all of the stuff that those other teams weren’t willing to deal with that’s fair Everything it’s not an injury question where it’s like oh is it some sort of secret knee injury no it’s really you’d have to call up Washington and be like how the how the hell did you pass up on this guy that’s fair Everything we’ve heard about so far wouldn’t make me pass on him so much to where he would fall past 10 Like that would be kind of wild Although there apparently I don’t know again with the Bill Simmons pod Chris Manx was on there saying there’s maybe even some stories behind the scenes I don’t know what that means I don’t know if that’s just I I don’t know what it all means but yeah I’m with you I agree with what you said Another sicko satchel question We we have some in the hopper what you got Yeah Bam Bam of the 21st Ricky Pierce division aka the Flying Big Paper Daddies asks “You’re in the low bar on draft night What’s your comfort food and your drink before the pick comes in?” Okay I’m going with uh if I have to kind of put a Hornets pun on it I’m going to need a little bit more time to think But my comfort food at the bar for sure is nachos Just loading them up I love the nachos that I’m going to order And then my drink that I’m ordering yeah I think I just need a beer I I don’t know what kind of beer Probably a jingling Probably like an amber or something a little darker I’m not a hop guy so give me a brown ale an amber ale something like that But I’m going nachos and just a beer I I don’t want like liquor I don’t want a cocktail This isn’t fun right like I I need I need some kind of beer and nachos to get through it Uh yeah I’m I need several shots of whiskey Um and my comfort food uh not nachos My comfort food would be You said that with disgust You didn’t like some kind of Yeah Well and what well does it have to be bar food if it’s bar food you know just give me some bacon cheese fries which are kind of like I guess it’s kind of like nachos but I’m going bacon cheese fries That’s always my comfort food in a bar If it’s just regular if I can have anything I’m give me a little baked ziti or something That’s my comfort food overall Yeah Good But if you eat that in a bar it’s really gotten low Like things have gotten things have taken a dark turn Hey big city at the bar Back at the low bar Yeah God you know just leave just leave the plate of bake ziti here I’m I’m g just leave the leave the plate I’m here Um that would be tough Yeah All right Anything else final mockdraft day 60 of 61 This is so important We’re We are just We are hours away from finding out what the Hornets are going to do We need the latest intel So I found the most serious the best mock draft I could deliver here on day 60 of 61 Of course I’m going with the mockdraft at profootn network.com Their mockdraft they’ve got Cooper flag going to the uh Dallas Mavericks They’ve got Dylan Harper going to the San Antonio Spurs The Sixers they take VJ Edgecomb Oh Hornets miss out on VJ So what do the Hornets do they go for Conaniple the wing out of Duke There you go profnetwork.com profetwork And does it give the name on who curated that mock draft oh it does not So you can be pretty sure this was some kind of Shat GPT Oh that’s great Okay it’s here Well we’re going to be all over the place You know Doug’s going to be taking care of the draft for the entire Locked On podcast network You’re going to be doing some stuff You’ll see Doug’s face uh with Nick Carboni You can see my face with Nick Carboni I actually recorded a session with him two days ago about the draft that was just released yesterday So go to WCNC’s YouTube channel You’ll see me have a conversation with Nick You’ll see Doug and some of the draft takes that he has after that selection or trade or whatever decision is made Plus I’ll be um doing some stuff with LockDon as well We’re just going to be all over the place with this And if you’re going live Doug I might try to hop on like we’ll we’ll be in contact We’re going to try to figure it all out tonight I don’t It’s weird schedule I’m gonna be out at Capitol Grill asking questions to Jeff Peterson after he makes this decision So I’ll be on media coverage The the rare time that nothing else is like really going on for me and so I get to be there in person and ask some questions It’s here Doug what what are your draft predictions the same as mine do you feel the same way I do with the stuff I was talking about in the first segment i’m going to stick with what I’ve said all along I think that all of this VJ Edgecomb to Philadelphia talk is and and in fact that latest report I think just solidified my thinking that Philly is not really serious about taking BJ Edgecom that the Hornets are going to have the opportunity to select Edgecom number four and that’s exactly what they do and all of this running around and talking about all of these thousands of different things that they could do it’s just all going to end with VJ Edgecom and I would be very happy because I think VJ Edgecom can be a player that can help transform this defense and allows you to see see what you got continue to see what you have in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller And I just think it would be an amazing amazing outcome So that’s what I’m hoping for If Malawatch is the worst case scenario then I hope we don’t have to eat a whole plate of Mal Nachos I hope we don’t have to eat that Malinachos I don’t want those Malachos Yeah And again all due respect to the Malinachos Great You know I’ve been very careful because it seems like a great dude I just I can’t go down Can’t go down that road again All right that’ll do it Locked on Hornets We’re going to be all over the place folks Doug Branson uh has another pod to record Locked on NBA Locked on NBA Matt Moore and Hayes Go check them out Make sure they’re your second listen And uh listen to Weston Walker as well We’re live baby 12 to three today Sports Radio 927 Something’s going to break Something is going to break Maybe with the Hornets I’m going to stay tuned to your show cuz something’s going to break Yeah Oh dude We’re We’re We love breaking news We have a field day when there’s breaking news So again 12 to 3 Weston Walker Uh you can also listen to us on the WFNZ app Tonight’s the night We’ll figure out what happens We’ll break it all down tomorrow Thanks again [Music]

The 2025 NBA Draft is here and the Charlotte Hornets are the most mysterious team in the top 10. In this episode of Locked On Hornets, Walker and Doug lay out every possible scenario facing the Hornets at pick #4. Will Charlotte take VJ Edgecombe, the versatile two-way wing who fits their future, or gamble on upside with Kon Knueppel or Tre Johnson? And what if Philly shocks everyone by taking Edgecombe—do the Hornets pivot to a trade-down strategy?

Doug and Walker break down rumored trade-back options including deals involving RJ Barrett, Cam Johnson, Corey Kispert, Herb Jones, and even Devin Vassell. They analyze how these moves would signal whether the Hornets are trying to win now or build slowly. Plus, is Tre Mann’s reported full recovery a leverage play or legit news ahead of free agency?

We also get spicy with a Sicko Satchel draft retrospective—what was the worst Hornets draft ever? 2021’s complete bust? Or the 2011 Biyombo/Kemba split? And just how far would Ace Bailey have to fall before the Hornets say “enough is enough” and take the talent?

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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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