Givony Clarifies Report That Draft Prospects Were "Unwilling" to Work Out for Hornets

Matt Alquiza | Jun 4, 2024

Jul 29, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; James Bouknight (Connecticut) walks off the stage after being selected as the number eleven overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"The Hornets are sitting in a tricky spot at No. 6, with some prospects thus far unwilling to work out in Charlotte."

A singluar sentence from ESPN's Jeremy Woo that sent Charlotte fans into a tizzy.

In ESPN's latest joint mock draft between Woo and Jonathan Givony, Woo dropped that nugget alongside a mock selection (Rob Dillingham, a Kentucky guard) and some more intel. Nearly a week later Woo's counterpart Givony reneged that statement on an episode of The Lowe Post.

Givony said this: "I think it was more of a scheduling issue early on than anything. They'll get who they want in eventually."

For a franchise with a checkered draft history, any negative news is unwelcome. The Kobe Bryant trade, losing the 2012 lottery after finishing the the worst record in the league, and drafting Frank Kaminsky while passing on Danny Ainge's godfather offer are three of many mishaps Charlotte has had during draft season. Some mistakes are of their own accord, others are not, and this prospect situation was quickly developing into another one.

It seems that Charlotte will get a chance to meet with every prospect they desire. Recent mock draft have them linked to Kentucky's Reed Shepherd and Rob Dillingham, UCONN's Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan and international prospects like Alexandre Sarr, Nikola Topic, and Tidjane Saladun.

In a recent interview, Hornets' owner Gabe Plotkin included the potential sixth overall pick as a part of Charlotte's "young nucleus." Whoever the pick ends up being, Charlotte will ultimately have a chance to bring them in for a workout, a welcome change from earlier reporting.