MAILBAG: Hornets' Key Off-Season Decisions + Draft Scenarios

Answering questions regarding the Hornets 2024 off-season.

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) looks on during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA Draft and NBA Free Agency upon us, there's many questions left to be answered.

Let's take a look at the questions I received from my followers over at CharlotteHornetsOnly (Instagram page) regarding the Hornets upcoming off-season.

Who are the prospects that the Hornets have been linked to?

There's four players that come to mind realistically for the Hornets at #6. Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis, Dalton Knecht, and Reed Sheppard are all names that have come up surrounding the Hornets pick. The expectation around the league seems to be that it will be between Castle, Knecht, and Sheppard, but this draft could go so many different ways.

Did Castle workout for the Hornets or did he refuse to?

Despite previous reports of Stephon Castle refusing to workout for teams who had a starting point guard (similar to Charlotte's situation), it was reported by Jonathan Givony that Castle did workout for the Hornets. With Castle working out for Charlotte, it definitely leaves the option there for the Hornets to select him with the sixth pick in the draft or even as a trade-up option.

Should the Hornets draft best available or draft by the best fit for the team?

This is a tricky one, but I'd lean in the middle. I believe the Hornets should definitely take a player who they think is going to be the best, but I also think they have to take a player that fits the dynamic of the team. As well as not adding to a position that the Hornets already have depth and enough talent at. With the Hornets injury history they should take all of the depth they can get.

Is there a player the Hornets could pass up on that other teams are likely to be interested in?

There's one name that comes to mind and that's Donovan Clingan. With the Hornets having Mark Williams and Nick Richards to hold down the center position, they don't necessarily need another young center. If Clingan is still on the board at six, I could definitely see the Hornets passing up on him or trading back in the draft to get more assets from a team that could use Clingan and his size like Memphis or Oklahoma City.

Who do you think is the best fit for the Hornets at pick 6?

Call me crazy, but I love Dalton Knecht's fit with the Hornets. Despite being 23-years-old, Knecht has only gotten better throughout his years at college and has the perfect game to surround LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Knecht is one of the best shooters in the draft and comfortably gets to his spot finding different ways to score. The Hornets could really use another scorer and Knecht offers more than enough of that.

Could the Hornets trade their first-round pick? If they do, would they most likely trade up or trade back?

There's definitely a possibility that the Hornets trade their first-round pick, but if it were to happen, i'd expect it to be in a trade back scenario. The Hornets had been rumored to have interest in trading up to pick three with Houston, but I feel that's unlikely. However, if they believe they can get value and assets while trading back and getting the player they want, then that seems much more doable.

Do you think Charles Lee (Hornets head coach) will have a role in the decision making of the draft and free agency?

Head coaches typically have some say in the draft and who their team selects and I expect nothing but the same with new head coach Charles Lee. I see the Hornets drafting a player that aligns with Lee's style of coaching and who he believes fits best with the team.

Who do you see as a trade back option for the Hornets?

Devin Carter and Ja'Kobe Walter are two names to look for in a potential trade back for Charlotte. There's potential that Dalton Knecht could be a trade back option as well, but the Hornets would have to be confident he would fall to them a bit later on. Ja'Kobe Walter was one of the players that notably worked out with the Hornets. Walter has been rumored to land just outside of the top 10, while Carter has been seen as a potential top 10 pick.

Who could the Hornets target with their second-round pick? Or do they decide to move it?

The Hornets in the past typically make a trade or two in the second round to move up or move back and I could see that happening. There's a couple players the Hornets could target listed below.

Nikola Djurisic	Cam Christie	Keshad Johnson
Small Forward	Shooting Guard	Small Forward

What's the most important decision this off-season for the Hornets?

Some may think that the Hornets most important decision is the upcoming draft, but I think it's obviously what Charlotte does with Miles Bridges. Bridges was one of the Hornets key players last season and now he approaches unrestricted free agency. The team is looking to re-sign him, but if things go south the entire off-season becomes really interesting and leaves a lot of questions that will have to be answered.

Should the Hornets re-sign Miles Bridges?

The Hornets should absolutely bring back Miles Bridges. In fact, I believe that it would be arguably one of the most puzzling decisions that the franchise has ever made if they don't bring him back. Well, unless his agent Rich Paul decides to demand an egregious amount of money. The Hornets went way out of their way to retain Bridges a year ago through the domestic violence incident and if they just let him walk less than a year later, then it makes you question, why were you so invested into bringing him back and him being apart of the core, just to let him go?

PTS	AST	REB	STL
21.0	3.3	7.3	0.9

If the Hornets don't re-sign Bridges, will they look to sign-and-trade him elsewhere?

If Charlotte isn't willing to give Bridges the contract him and his agent want, then the Hornets will likely look to get some value back, which would indicate a potential sign-and-trade deal.

Who's the biggest threat in the Miles Bridges sweepstakes?

A few amount of teams have shown interest in Bridges, but the team that has seemingly shown the most interest outside of Charlotte is Detroit. Bridges grew up in Flint, Michigan so there could be some level of interest there from the 26-year-old forward. The Pistons have a lot of cap space, which could be appealing to Bridges and his agent, while also having a younger core surrounding the team.

Do you think the Hornets will be active in free agency?

Will they? Maybe not. But should they? Absolutely. The Hornets don't need to make a "splash" in free agency by any means, but adding depth and veterans to the team would be very beneficial. Many times teams add to their bench with lesser known signings and it turns out to be vital to the teams' success. For example, the Mavericks added Derrick Jones Jr and he was a huge piece in their run to the NBA Finals.

Who are some free agent targets that you think the Hornets should consider?

Like I previously mentioned, the Hornets don't have to go after top free agents of the likes of Paul George and others, but simply low-risk, high reward bench guys. Listed below are free agents that the Hornets should consider.

De'Anthony Melton	Unrestricted
Xavier Tillman	Unrestricted
Naji Marshall	Unrestricted
Kris Dunn	Unrestricted
Drew Eubanks	Unrestricted

The 2024 NBA Draft begins Wednesday, June 26th at 7:30 p.m est.