Hornets Land No. 4 Pick at 2025 NBA Draft

At the highly-anticipated 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on Monday, 14 teams learned where they’d be picking at this year’s draft.

The Hornets were among them, coming in with the third-best odds after a disappointing 63-loss season this year. At the draft lottery, they came away with the No. 4 overall selection at the 2025 NBA Draft. They had the highest-available 14% chance at picking No. 1, but were more likely to land the No. 6 pick with a 26% chance.

The 2025 NBA Draft is a strong one near the top, boasting franchise-changing talents such as Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers Dylan Harper, as well as a host of other talented prospects just below and beyond.

The Hornets have been no strangers to the draft lottery in recent years, grabbing team centerpieces in guard LaMelo Ball and wing Brandon Miller with decent luck in the last few years. Just last year, they grabbed project forward Tidjane Salaun with the No. 6 overall pick.

Charlotte remains in an interesting situation, having a core that should be potent enough to win games while still being leagues away from true contention. While it’s not in the best interest of short-term success, the organization should likely continue to prioritize developmental pieces at the draft that can blossom down the road.

It's not yet known if Ball and Miller alone — with the team's current core — will be able to lead Charlotte back to the Playoffs. So drafting for fit in the upper ranks of the lottery likely isn't the play.

Prospects are now in the heat of the 2025 NBA Draft Combine, where they'll showcase their measurements and talents in front of NBA scouts and decision-makers. The full 75-player combine list can be found here. The draft combine will run through May 18.

The 2025 NBA Draft will again be a two-day event starting at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26. You can view NBA Draft on SI's latest big board here. A comprehensive list of scouting reports on all 2025 prospects can be found here.