Here's What Hannes The Hornet Has Gotten Into

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 30, 2026 7:40 PM ET

Hang on, but this might sting a little.

Not only have the Charlotte Hornets launched a highly calculated franchise makeover, they've gone the youth movement route, as well.

It began a week ago with the North Carolina team drafting power forward Hannes Steinbach from the University of Washington with the 14th overall pick.

Four selections later, the Hornets drafted Texas Tech point guard Chris Anderson, who needs no introduction to Steinbach whatsoever.

Their fathers each played German pro basketball, hence the younger Steinbach and Anderson became national team teammates in the motherland and overly familiar with each other's playing styles.

It was the FIBA Under-19 World Cup all over again.

The Hornets were just warming up, too.

A day after the draft concluded, Charlotte traded standout point guard LaMelo Ball to Minnesota for power forward Naz Reid and shooting guard Josh Green, both reserve players, in a deal that involved seven draft picks.

Four days after moving Ball, the Hornets sent 6-foot-7 forward Miles Bridges to Phoenix for shooting guard Grayson Allen and small forward Royce O'Neale with three more draft choices involved.

Yet do the math, and the front-office execs basically opened up starting lineup spots for the 6-foot-10, 248-pound Steinbach and 6-foot-1 Anderson to fill immediately.

One of these new guys led college basketball in rebounding at 11.8 per game while the other passed people silly by dishing out 7.4 assists an outing.

Some have suggested the 6-foot-9, 264-pound Reid, a 13.6 scorer and 6.2 rebounder, might have been brought in to start at the outset and let Steinbach ease into the role.

However, the former Timberwolves front-liner always has come off the bench. He started just 3 of 77 games this past season.

No, the Hornets exces have moved people around from a decent 44-38 team to try and accelerate team advancement into something long term and playoff worthy.

Foremost, the front office is going to build around these two players who know their way around Germany and intimately know what each other can do on the basketball floor.

For those who held out any hope that Steinbach was going to play another college season, that was squashed long ago by people in Charlotte plotting behind closed doors to taper the franchise around him.

He's going to rebound the basketball, that's a given, and it is hoped he can become a much better shooter and put all of that together to make the Hornets a big winner.

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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