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On draft night eve, the Charlotte Hornets look to be in an enviable position

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 3:16 PM ET

As all 30 franchises across the National Basketball Association crystallize their draft night plans, many of the decisions set to be made around the league hinge on two teams: the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Charlotte Hornets.

The top two picks of the draft are all but set in stone. Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper look to be on their way to Dallas and San Antonio respectively, but beyond the two sure things lie an innumerable number of possibilities based on the proclivities of the mad genius Daryl Morey, and the silent shot-caller Jeff Peterson.

Let's start in Philadelphia.

According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, V.J Edgecombe "appears in pole position to hear his name called at No. 3" after "he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the (76ers) front office values more highly."

This tracks with much of the intel that has been reported in recent days. After being mocked to Charlotte for weeks following the shocking draft lottery, a union between Edgecombe and Philadelphia seems to be the most likely draft night outcome with just over 24 hours to go until the proceedings open.

It makes sense. According to many draft analysts, Edgecombe is the third best prospect on the board, and if Philadelphia makes the selection (or trades it to a franchise that loves VJ), the Baylor guard is likely to come off the board ahead of Charlotte.

In this scenario, a world of possibilities will open for the Charlotte Hornets. They could stay put at number four and draft their preferred choice of Kon Knueppel (the odds on favorite right now), Tre Johnson (the wild card), or Ace Bailey (the home run swing). Any of those three picks would be a solid addition to the core that Peterson and Charles Lee are building in Charlotte.

However, they could also work the phones, slide back a few spots, and pick up a handful of future assets on top of selecting a top-tier prospect.

Ace Bailey, the uber-talented shot maker from Rutgers, has long been considered the third best prospect in this class behind Flagg and Harper, and many believe his high-end NBA potential can only be matched by Flagg himself. Teams in desperate need of a star (Washington, Utah, and Brooklyn, for example), are liable to jump each other to earn the right to draft Bailey.

This would be the best case scenario for Charlotte: auctioneering a bidding war for Ace Bailey that winds up with Charlotte keeping a top eight pick in this years draft on top of accuring more assets for their burgeoning war chest.

The good news? If Philadelphia becomes the preferred trade up spot for a Bailey-hungry team, Charlotte can sit tight, draft Edgecombe, and welcome a neat fitting guard prospect into the fold. If Jeff Peterson's phone stays dry, nobody calls to trade up for Bailey, and Edgecombe goes off the board at number three, Charlotte can stay put and draft their preferred target at number four.

At this point, it is hard to imagine a world in which things go wrong for the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow night. It will take years for us to fully realize the wide-sweeping impacts that the 2025 NBA Draft had on the Hornets, but a day out, they look primed and ready to add the next piece (or pieces) that kick starts their rebuild.