One crazy draft night trade that could actually make the Hornets dangerous

The Eastern Conference is more open than it ever has been. Major injuries to Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Dame Lillard have caused each playoff team in the East to believe they are one move away from representing the conference in the NBA Finals.

There could be several non-playoff teams who even believe that they are one move away from a playoff push, and the Charlotte Hornets are one of them.

It's easy to look at the Hornets 19-63 record and write them off as no chance of being a playoff team. The facts are, though, that the Hornets were absolutely wrecked by injuries last season. LaMelo Ball played in 47 games, Brandon Miller played in 27, Grant Williams played only 16 before tearing his ACL, Tre Mann suited up for only 13 games, and Mark Williams only played 44 games.

In short, it was another season where the Hornets were snake-bitten due to injuries.

When fully healthy, though, the team absolutely can make a postseason push. The Hornets were 6-7 with Tre Mann healthy, and 13-56 with him out. Similarly, with LaMelo Ball in the squad was 16-31, going 3-32 without him. It's all pointed towards health needing to fall their way, which is still a tall task in the NBA.

Last night, one of the key dominos in the NBA trade market fell: The Boston Celtics sent Jrue Holiday sent to the Portland Trail Blazers, in return for Anfernee Simons and two second round picks. Holiday was a key piece to the NBA's trade market, as he was expected to be moved prior to tomorrow's draft. Alongside Desmond Bane's deal last week, the NBA trade market is moving.

So, how can the Hornets jump into it, and potentially push their way into the postseason?

Just yesterday, it was reported that one of Ace Bailey's preferred destinations are the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ace Baileys preferred draft destinations are the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets, per @DraftExpress pic.twitter.com/6DLoFQtAEj
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 24, 2025

Out of these three teams, the Pelicans are sandwiched in between the two in the draft order. If they want Bailey, a trade up is going to be needed, which is where the Hornets come in to play.

One name that has been floated around all offseason for the Pelicans? Zion Williamson.

Williamson attended Duke University, just a few hours from Charlotte. He's also from Salisbury, and played for the South Carolina Hornets during AAU (with Ja Morant). He is set to make around $125 million over the next three years, receiving around $41 million a season.

Zion was productive in the 30 games he played with the Pelicans last season, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Like the rest of the Hornets roster, Zion has constantly dealt with injuries, missing 52 games due to injury just last season alone.

Williamson is without a doubt the No. 1 option on the Pelicans. That being said, Ace Bailey's camp has made it clear that they view Bailey as a franchise-altering player and want him to be the top option wherever he lands. It could cause incentive to the Pelicans to move on from their face of the franchise, and prioritize building around Bailey...

...which brings in the Hornets. If New Orleans wants to land Ace, a trade up is needed. With VJ Edgecombe almost certainly going three to the Philadelphia 76ers, it's caused the Hornets to pursue a potential trade back, with Duke's Kon Knueppel being the target.

NBA Mock Trade between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans — FanSpo

Hornets receive: Zion Williamson, #7 pick

Pelicans receive: Miles Bridges, Tidjane Salaun, Nick Smith Jr, #4 pick, #34 pick via New Orleans, 2027 Round 1 via Dallas, 2027 Round 2 via Portland or New Orleans

Why the Hornets would do this: This propels the Hornets into a postseason team. Not only are they able to still select Knueppel, but they would receive another all-star player to put alongside LaMelo Ball. They would finally get the chance to move on from Miles Bridges and give up on the Tidjane Salaun project after only one season. As for Nick Smith Jr, the return of Tre Mann pushes him further down in the rotation, and KJ Simpson has proved enough that he is capable of serving as a solid third guard. Jeff Peterson has put together a chest of draft picks, enough that he would not even be dealing his own in this move. The Hornets would go into next season with a starting five of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Zion Williamson, and Mark Williams. Playoffs.

Why the Pelicans would do this: Simple, it's time to build around Ace Bailey. Miles Bridges absolutely can be rerouted for more assets, as some playoff teams may view him as someone who can help push them over the finish line. They would collect two of their own second round picks back, and bring in to former first round picks in Tidjane Salaun and Nick Smith Jr, both young enough to fit the timeline for Ace Bailey. While the Mavericks first is not as valuable as it was before the draft lottery, first round picks are still valuable in the NBA. The Pelicans would move on from Williamson, and shift gears into building around their new young talent.

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