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Hornets met with two sweet-shooting wing prospects at the NBA Combine

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated May 14, 2025 9:46 PM ET

Now that the lottery gods have spoken and the Charlotte Hornets know where they'll be selecting in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, it's time for Charles Lee, Jeff Peterson, and the rest of the team's brass to hone in on their primary targets with the fourth overall pick.

Their first chance to get some face time with a myriad of prospects is this week in Chicago where the basketball world has conglomerated for the annual NBA Draft Combine. Due to the league's updated collective bargaining agreement, every potential draftee is required to attend the combine to participate in drills, measurements, athletic testing, and medical examinations.

While those are all invaluable tools for a front office during the scouting process, nothing is more valuable than the chance for a group of franchise representatives to sit down and speak with a prospect face-to-face.

Charlotte's has met with two consensus top ten prospects

The Hornets will have a handful of options with the fourth overall pick. Highly touted one-and-dones Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, and Kon Knueppel are arguably the four most likely selections for Charlotte, and the team met with two of them on Wednesday in Chicago.

Kon Knueppel said he's already met with Chicago, Charlotte, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Orlando.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) May 14, 2025

Both Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel confirmed to assembled media members that they met with the Hornets at the combine. The pair of prospects are deadeye long range shooters who would change the face of Charlotte's offense with their gravity and shot making.

Tre Johnson said the #Hornets are one of the team's he's met with here at the NBA Dtaft Combine in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/cgcgCjbJYE
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) May 14, 2025

There is still plenty of time between now and the draft, but the trail of bread crumbs leading to the Hornets' eventual selection is already beginning to be laid. Stay tuned to Hornets on SI for wall-to-wall pre-draft coverage.