NBA mock draft: Projecting the Charlotte Hornets 4th overall pick and a late-first trade up

Predicting the first round of the NBA Draft and how Charlotte will play a factor in it.

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The NBA will crown it's 2024-25 champion tonight in Oklahoma City. Once the games goes final, the confetti falls, the champagne gets popped, and the victors enjoy their spoils, the basketball world at large can finally give its full attention to this Wednesday's draft.

The Charlotte Hornets, armed with the fourth, 33rd, and 34th overall picks, are in position to land at least one impact contributor this week, if not two or three. Here's a mock draft projection with three days to go until the draft.

1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg - Duke

2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper - Rutgers

3. Philadelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe - Baylor

4. Charlotte Hornets: Kon Knueppel - Duke

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The winds are blowing in a direction that will inevitably push Kon Knueppel to Charlotte. With Ace Bailey sliding, and VJ Edgecombe rising, it looks more likely by the hour that the Hornets' preferred target, Edgecombe, will land in Philadelphia with the third overall pick.

In that scenario, Charlotte would be left to choose from Bailey, Tre Johnson, and Kon Knueppel, if the persistent rumors are true. In this mock draft, Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee land on sticking at number four, and drafting the connective sharpshooter Knueppel with the pick the lottery gods bestowed upon them.

However, if Edgecombe comes off the board at number three, I fully expect Peterson to work the phones and swing a deal to trade down, acquire additional assets, and pray that Knueppel falls into their laps at their new draft spot. Washington (#6), New Orleans (#7), and Brooklyn (#8) are three teams with the capital to swing a trade up and the need for a potential superstar like Bailey or Johnson.

5. Utah Jazz - Tre Johnson - Texas

6. Washington Wizards - Ace Bailey - Rutgers

7. New Orleans Pelicans - Jeremiah Fears - Oklahoma

8. Brooklyn Nets - Collin Murray-Boyles - South Carolina

9. Toronto Raptors - Khaman Maluach - Duke

10. Phoenix Suns - Thomas Sorber - Georgetown

11. Portland Trailblazers - Kasparas Jakučionis - Illinois

12. Chicago Bulls - Noa Essengue - Ratiopharm Ulm

13. Atlanta Hawks - Derik Queen - Maryland

14. San Antonio Spurs - Carter Bryant - Arizona

15. Oklahoma City Thunder - Cedric Coward - Washington State

16. Memphis Grizzlies - Nique Clifford - Colorado State

17. Minnesota Timberwolves - Joan Beringer - Cedevita Olimpija

18. Washington Wizards - Egor Demin - BYU

19. Brooklyn Nets - Nolan Traore - Saint-Quentin BB

20. Miami Heat - Walter Clayton Jr. Florida

21. Utah Jazz - Noah Penda - Le Mans Sarthe Basket

22. Atlanta Hawks - Jase Richardson - Michigan State

23. New Orleans Pelicans - Ryan Kalkbrenner - Creighton

24. Oklahoma City Thunder - Danny Wolf - Michigan

TRADE: Charlotte sends picks #33 and #34 to Orlando for pick #25

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The Orlando Magic have decided to push their chips all-in for 2025-26. After trading for talented swingman Desmond Bane and bloating their cap sheet, Orlando needs to add as many playoff-viable players as possible for cheap. In this scenario, they move back eight spots in the draft order and pick up an extra second round pick for their troubles.

For Charlotte, they consolidate two early second-round picks into one late first-rounder, flying up the board to draft a player in a higher tier on their board.

25. Charlotte Hornets - Maxime Raynaud - Stanford

Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) after a dunk against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Every NBA coach needs a curveball. A deviation from their normal schematic norms that leaves the knees of a defense buckled. Adding a floor-spacing five, a player that boasts a skillset that none of Mark Williams, Moussa Diabate, or Jusuf Nurkic can flaunt, should be near the top of Peterson and Lee's checklist this summer.

Instead of swinging a sign-and-trade for one of this free agent classes' stretch fives (Naz Reid and Myles Turner, for example), Charlotte moves up into the late first round to land Maxime Raynaud, To familiarize yourself with the French big man, here's a snippet from The Ringer's NBA Draft guide.

"Over his Palo Alto tenure, he expanded from a floor spacer and screener to a highly productive, high-usage player. He has many effective outlets in his game. His low center of gravity, ambidextrous post scoring, and great touch on overhanded shots in the middle of the paint make him a competitive force inside, but he’s also just as capable of stepping outside as a 3-point threat when he’s not directly involved in the play."

26. Brooklyn Nets - Rasheer Fleming - Saint Joe's

27. Brooklyn Nets - Will Riley - Illinois

28. Boston Celtics - Asa Newell - Georgia

29. Phoenix Suns - Adou Thiero - Arkansas

30. Los Angeles Clippers - Liam McNeeley - Connecticut

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