Should the Hornets Trade Up or Stay Put in the 2022 NBA Draft?
In ten days, the Charlotte Hornets will have some very important decisions to make on the night of the 2022 NBA Draft. Currently, GM Mitch Kupchak has the 13th and 15th picks in the draft but could package those picks to trade up into the top ten or send them away for a veteran player that could help this team immediately.
During a press conference at the NBA Combine in May, Kupchak referenced the two top 15 picks as currency. He knows how valuable those picks could be in terms of a trade, but he also remains consistent in his approach of not reaching for a higher draft pick or veteran.
"That might be bringing in veterans that really, you're not ready for. We're still looking, in my opinion, to inject talent into this team. I think our scouts have done a great job with the draft and we've got talent in the system. We have the 13th, 15th, and the 45th pick in the draft. That's not to say we'll use all of those picks in the draft, it's good currency. You can use those picks to make a trade and our roster with our free agents, it's starting to get a little cluttered too. There's a lot that goes into it. Yes, we do want to make a step in the playoffs, hopefully winning a round is realistic and we just have to be careful to not try to push too much and get ourselves in a position where we're not as good as we thought we would be."
If the Hornets were to move up in the draft, it would almost certainly be to go after center Jalen Duren out of Memphis who is likely to be off the board within the first 10-12 picks. The Hornets have a glaring hole at center and the high ceiling of Duren could be very appealing to Kupchak and the rest of the Hornets brass.
In terms of sending the picks for a veteran, Deandre Ayton comes to mind as one player they could target. Sure, the logistics of the trade may not be easy but the Suns seem open to the idea of parting ways with the former No. 1 overall pick and Charlotte makes sense as a trade partner.
That said, this doesn't seem like a move that Kupchak would be willing to make at this time.
"The thing we have to be careful about is thinking we're better than we really are," the Hornets GM stated. "We're not a team that's going to get into the Finals. Although Atlanta got into the Conference Finals a year ago, I don't know how realistic that is. What I'd like to do with this team is I'd like to get us into the playoffs and wouldn't it be great to win a round? And then anything after that would probably be gravy. You've got to be careful that you don't make moves to try to mosey the progress along, quicker than is realistic."
As appealing as it may be to acquire a veteran or perhaps move up in the draft, I think it would be in Charlotte's best interest to just stay put at 13 and 15 and take the two best players on the board. There will still be a lot of talent available which could feature names like Ochai Agbaji (Kansas), Mark Williams (Duke), Jeremy Sochan (Baylor), Malaki Branham (Ohio State), Tari Eason (LSU), and there's a chance that AJ Griffin (Duke) could fall to 13.
"Injecting talent" into the team sounds like Kupchak would like to keep the two picks and continue to build through the draft rather than inject a max contract on the books.
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