Hornets draft blunders: Four decisions that still make Charlotte fans cringe

Ah, yes. The NBA draft is near, and it's another opportunity for the Charlotte Hornets to add to their long history of swings and misses. For a franchise that's had several swings inside the top 10, they haven't landed very many superstars. Perhaps that changes this year. Or maybe there's another draft blunder on the horizon.

For this week's Charlotte Hornets On SI roundtable, we offer our thoughts as to what was the biggest draft blunder in franchise history. And no, the pre-determined trades of Kobe Bryant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander don't count.

Schuyler Callihan

Frank Kaminsky in 2015.

You could make the case that there were other drafts that featured worse decisions from the Hornets, but I'll keep it more recent. They took Kaminsky ninth overall over Myles Turner (who went 10th) and Devin Booker, who was selected a few picks later. Could you imagine a backcourt of Kemba and Booker? Sheesh. Turner has been a rock-solid two-way player his entire career and played a position the Hornets have struggled to find a solution for years. Passing on his elite defense and athleticism for...Kaminsky? Woof.

Matt Alquiza

Drafting Malik Monk over Donovan Mitchell.

Although Monk turned himself into a solid NBA player, he comes nowhere close to Mitchell’s greatness. Throughout that entire draft process, Charlotte and Mitchell were linked, and many expected the Hornets to select the future superstar…until Monk fell into their lap on draft night. Monk was the higher-rated prospect, but we all know how their careers have turned out nearly a decade later.

Owen O'Connor

Drafting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist over Brad Beal (or even Dame Lillard for that matter).

The Hornets had their point guard of the future in Kemba Walker and had just missed out on Anthony Davis. The next two best players were AD’s teammate and a 6’3", 210-pound guard from Florida named Bradley Beal. Naturally, they went with the teammate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. MGK spent eight seasons with the Hornets and played a few games with Dallas before his NBA career ended in 2019-20. At his best, he averaged 12.7 points. As for Beal? His worst scoring season he averaged 13.9 points. His ROOKIE year. He perfectly complemented point guard John Wall and would have easily slid in next to Kemba Walker on the offensive side of the ball. Beal is available this offseason, but it’s far too late for the Hornets to get the player they should’ve had years ago.

Zachary Roberts

2021 first-round picks.

It’s always a good idea to have multiple first-round picks in a draft, even when one of them is later on. The Hornets had that, a rare chance to really turn things around after picking LaMelo Ball, and they blew not one but two picks. They could’ve had Moses Moody, Alperen Sengun, Trey Murphy, Tre Mann, Jalen Johnson, Keon Johnson, or Cam Thomas. They ended up with James Bouknight and Kai Jones, both of whom are basically out of the NBA now.

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