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-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Could the Hornets trade back after the NBA draft lottery results?

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 13, 2025 9:57 AM ET

Following an utter rollercoaster at the NBA draft lottery (at one point, Charlotte seemed nearly certain of the first overall pick, but instead, the Hornets are picking fourth overall. This is not the worst possible outcome, but it's hard to feel terribly excited about how it all transpired.

Nevertheless, as Jeff Peterson said after the lottery, the team now has clarity. He specifically mentioned how it pertains to conversations with other teams, which means a trade has either been discussed or might be now.

Is that a viable option?

This might be an ideal situation to trade back in. The lottery kind of ripped Charlotte off, so they could take back some positivity by moving down even further and recouping some assets. As it stands, they could take Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe, the final two of the top four prospects. If they move down, they still might be able to.

They shouldn't really be trading outside the top seven or eight, though. It's a deep draft class, but it's not that deep. Moving down to sixth might be ideal. They'd allow the Washington Wizards to undo some of the lottery damage they incurred while still being able to select an impact prospect.

One of Bailey or Edgecombe will fall to fourth overall. And at least one of Bailey/Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach will be there at sixth overall. It wouldn't bring in a massive haul to move up two spots, but the Hornets could get some more assets and still end up with a prospect from roughly the same tier in this class.

The urge to trade up might be strong. The Hornets should have gotten a top-three pick at least. And after how the first 10 picks of the lottery reveal went, the Hornets should have landed the first pick. They had a 14% chance of getting while the other three teams combined for a 18.3% chance overall.

Nevertheless, that would be a cost the Hornets cannot afford, no matter how much they might like to right that wrong. They can, however, give another team the chance to right a wrong and get some assets in return. Peterson and company have some options on the table, even though things didn't go to plan last night.