Charlotte Hornets 2026 NBA Draft Look Ahead - An Early Look at Prospects to Monitor

If the season ended today, the Charlotte Hornets would own the 12th and 19th picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. That will obviously change between now and the end of the season, but it gives us a reasonable baseline to assess some of the Hornets' options in the draft.

Charlotte currently has 13 players under contract for next season, and they've made it clear that re-signing pending free agent Coby White is a priority for them this summer, meaning there is a world in which they don't make both of these selections come June due to an impending roster crunch.

There are innumerable permutations of Charlotte's offseason roster moves to parse through, so consider this an exercise in taking a 30,000 foot view of some upcoming NBA Draft prospects who could be available in the Hornets' potential range of picks, assuming they at least make one of them.

A Star-Studded Top-Ten

Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) exits the court after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers — Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Unless you've been living under a rock, you are aware that this upcoming group of draftees is one for the ages. So good, in fact, that an absurd number of NBA franchises have already decided to punt on the 2025-26 season to position themselves to land one of these potential franchise-altering talents at the top of their class.

Cam Boozer (Duke), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Caleb Wilson (UNC), and Kingston Flemings (Houston), are the near-consensus top-five prospects in the 2026 draft that have spurned the race to the bottom. Beyond those five, a number of talented, but flawed, prospects are jockeying for position in the top ten: Keanton Wagler (Illinois), Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas), Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), and Nate Ament (Tennessee) among them.

Without some lottery luck (if they're even a part of it) or a trade up, the Hornets won't be in position to draft one of these talents. And although the strength of this draft class is at the top, there are still quality prospects to be had outside of the top-ten, including a few that would fit nicely alongside Charlotte's core nucleus of talent.

Versatile Big Men

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) is defended by UCLA Bruins guard Jamar Brown (4) — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Yaxel Lendenborg, PF, Michigan
Thomas Haugh, SF/PF, Florida
Koa Peat, PF, Arizona
Jayden Quaintance, PF/C, Kentucky
Chris Cenac Jr., C, Houston
Pat Ngongba II, C, Duke
Morez Johnson, C, Michigan

Each of these players is currently slotted somewhere between 10-25 in mock drafts, and each of them boast an intriguing quality that could be appealing to the Hornets' decision-makers.

Lendenborg is a 23-year-old power forward playing his sixth year of college basketball. The veteran forward is a jack-of-all trades big man who gives you a little bit of everything: interior scoring, defensive versatility and event creation, and tertiary playmaking to keep an offense flowing.

His combination of size, skill, and feel would slot nicely into Charlotte's front court as a strictly additive piece that will supplement the Hornets' explosive offense.

Haugh is another multi-year college player that is a ready-made NBA contributor due to his hot-running motor, defensive prowess, and rebounding skill.

The rest of the guys listed above all bring varying skillsets to the table. Both Quaintance and Cenac butter their bread on defense, bringing a rare mix of rim protection and perimeter fluidity to the table, while still needing to round out their skill sets on offense.

Ngongba is another versatile defender who also brings some playmaking feel to the offensive end that Charlotte could use in their front court.

Floor General Point Guards

Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) brings the ball up court against the Colorado Buffaloes — Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Christian Anderson, PG, Texas Tech
Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa

Anderson and Stirtz are two of the most talented pick and roll ball handlers in college basketball. The pair are composed point guards who are comfortable picking apart defensive coverages by playing at their own pace in the half court.

Charlotte will likely retain Coby White to run their second unit, but the addition of another lead ball handler to bring off the bench is something the Hornets should look into this offseason. The biggest gap that Charlotte needs to close is the gaping one between their offense's success with LaMelo Ball on the court versus when he's on the bench, and adding a floor general like Anderson or Stritz running the bench units could help that.

This is far from an expansive look at the depth of talent in the 2026 NBA Draft, and as the college season ramps up, some names will inevitably rise and fall up and down draft boards before One Shining Moment plays on April 6th.

Stay tuned to Charlotte Hornets On SI for wall-to-wall draft coverage this summer.

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