If Cooper Flagg goes back to Duke, who should the Hornets target?

Cooper Flagg will almost assuredly be the number one pick if he goes pro after his freshman season at Duke. Normally, it would be quite the safe assumption that he is going to go pro and be drafted number one, but Flagg has hinted in the past that he might stick around for his sophomore season. It's not unprecedented, but it would be a surprise and it would reshape the lottery and the draft.

He is, though, the player the Charlotte Hornets (and the rest of the teams at the top of the lottery) are targeting in the draft. Though not quite to the same level, it will be much like the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes all over again.

And perhaps in another eerie similarity, the prospects right behind Flagg would be number one overall in a lot of other drafts, much like Brandon Miller or even Scoot Henderson in 2023. The similarities are striking. So if Charlotte gets the top pick and Flagg decides he wants no part of the Hornets, who should be the target?

Flagg and two Rutgers stars, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, are considered the top trio in this draft class. They're all three viewed as possible franchise-altering prospects, so the Hornets, assuming they get a top-three pick, would be in good shape.

If they have their pick and it's not Flagg, pretty much every reputable big board has Harper second and Bailey third. The guard would presumably slot in at the top if Flagg spurns the NBA. Would that be the Hornets' choice, though?

Realistically, neither Harper nor Bailey would be a bad pick in the absence of Flagg, but which one makes more sense for Charlotte? They could land the 6'6" guard (Harper) and pair him with Ball in the backcourt, moving Miller to the three. They could also give themselves a clean opportunity to trade Ball and restart the rebuild timeline.

The Hornets could alternatively target the 6'10" forward (Bailey) and move Miles Bridges back to his former position at small forward. The good news is that either player slots into the lineup pretty well, although they're both quite young and might not immediately be ready to start.

Harper would probably be the better pick, though. While trading Ball might not be the best move for the team, it would reset the timeline on this endless rebuild and give the Hornets a ton of assets. They could build around Harper and Miller as a backcourt duo.

Bailey would be a great pick, too, but Charlotte just spent the number six pick on a developmental power forward in Tidjane Salaun. Salaun doesn't look like he's so good that the Hornets can't double up, but still.

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