All 2026 Draft Pick Scenarios For Hornets (and Suns) Picks in NBA Play-In

Tonight, the Charlotte Hornets will play for their postseason lives. With a win over the Orlando Magic, they will be the eight seed. A loss sends them back into the lottery for the 10th straight season.

Elsewhere, the Phoenix Suns are in the same boat. A win over the Golden State Warriors sends the Suns into the playoffs, while a loss puts them in the lottery. Charlotte owns its own pick and the Suns' pick, thanks to the Cody Martin-Jusuf Nurkic trade.

So tonight is a big night for the Hornets' future. There are multiple different scenarios that will impact which picks they get, and whether or not they end up with lottery picks.

All drafting scenarios for Hornets in NBA Play-In tonight

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) runs up court with the ball during the third quarter | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

The Hornets obviously want to win and make the playoffs, but missing out and getting another lottery pick to add to this talented young core would not be the worst outcome in the world. It would be a nice silver lining.

Hornets Draft Pick Scenarios for the remaining two play-in games:

CLT win + GS win = picks 14 + 17

CLT win + PHX win = picks 16 + 17/18 (coin flip)

CLT loss + PHX win = picks 14 + 17/18 (coin flip)

CLT loss + GS win = picks 13 + 17/18 (coin flip)
— Dylan Jackson (@djdotmp4) April 17, 2026

If the Hornets and Warriors win, the Hornets will own the 14th (lottery, so it may change) pick and the 17th pick. If the Hornets and Suns win, the Hornets would get picks 16 and 17/18, depending on a coin flip tiebreaker.

If the Hornets lose and the Suns win, the Hornets would get the 14th and 17th/18th picks. If the Hornets and Suns lose, they end up with picks 13 and 17/18. Unfortunately, there appears to be no scenario with two lottery picks.

Whatever the combination, the Hornets appear poised to end up with two picks between 13 and 18. The lottery could change things, but the odds are incredibly small. Per the X user above who shared the outcomes, the odds are high that the 14th pick remains the 14th pick.

There's also a 0.01% chance that everything that needs to happen for Charlotte to jump into the top four, a la Dallas Mavericks in 2025, happens. It's highly unlikely, and the lottery has never been anything but brutally unkind to the Hornets anyway.

With those two picks, the Hornets are a prime trade-up candidate. The roster, for once, does not have ample holes, so two mid-round draft picks aren't going to be as helpful unless they're developmental, but it's probably a good idea to add talent that can contribute to a winning team right now.

They could easily package the two picks and move up into the top 10 and pick a much better prospect. Regardless, the combination of the two picks is extremely valuable and sets the Hornets up extremely well for the future.

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