What are the Hornets Draft Picks for the Next Six Years? How Many Do They Own?

Draft picks in the NBA are arguably more valuable than they ever have been. Second round picks in particular have been important as of late, as teams no longer need to commit guaranteed money to players they select during the second day of the NBA Draft.

Take the Boston Celtics for example, who in the 2025 NBA Draft spent two second round picks on Amari Williams and Max Shulga, giving both players two-way deals. It's an excellent opportunity for teams to bring in young talent, while not committing a roster spot or guaranteed money to them.

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson has been excellent at accumulating draft capital for the Charlotte Hornets in his two short years with the organization. The Hornets are in the midst of a nine game winning streak, their first since the 1998-99 NBA season.

Not only that, but the franchise is doing this without making an "all-in" move yet, and still owning their draft capital. In fact, despite dealing for Coby White from the Chicago Bulls, the Hornets left last Thursday's trade deadline with more second round picks than they had entered with, without shaking up the roster.

First Round Picks

Year:	Via:
2026	PHX, WAS, ORL or MEM swap rights
2026	Own
2027	MIA, Protected 1-14
2027	Own
2027	DAL, Protected 1-2
2028	Own
2029	Own
2029	UTA, CLE or MIN
2030	Own
2031	Own
2032	Own

Second Round Picks

Year:	Via:
2026	DEN or GSW
2027	NOP or POR
2028	LAC swap rights
2029	DEN
2029	Own
2030	LAC or UTA
2030	Own
2031	NYK
2031	PHX
2031	Own
2031	DEN
2031	MIL
2032	Own
2032	MIL

With the value of draft picks peaking, the Hornets have put themselves in an excellent position going forward to eventually make a move to put them towards the upper-eschelon of the league. We continue to see excellent rotation players go for a player plus second-round selections, and Jeff Peterson has accumulated a war chest of draft capital to push toward that move eventually.

With talks of the 2027 draft class being disappointing as well, the Hornets could use some of their three first-round picks in that draft to make the needle-moving deal that Jeff Peterson has spoken about in the past.

With names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Domantas Sabonis, and Bam Adebayo potentially all being on the trade market this offseason, this is the chance for the Hornets to make their stamp on the NBA and be viewed as the Eastern Conference OKC Thunder.

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