The Hornets draft goal has everything to do with LaMelo Ball, analyst claims

The Charlotte Hornets probably have more than a few draft goals this year. While they missed out on Cooper Flagg, they should still have the goal of landing an impact prospect with the fourth overall pick. They should also have the goal of finding someone who complements their current roster well.

Their biggest goal?

According to Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes, it's determining what LaMelo Ball's future holds and whether or not it's in Charlotte. This may seem like yet another "trade Ball" claim from the national media, which it is. Those are unfair since he doesn't want out and the team wants to keep him, but Hughes makes a good, perhaps overlooked point here.

He said that an ideal draft sees VJ Edgecombe slip to fourth and land in a Hornets uniform, but beyond that, it provides answers on Ball. "It's not like Ball is a 35-year-old fading star who's wildly out of place on a rebuilding team," Hughes said. "But it's increasingly hard to see how the Hornets can operate patiently while also building a competent near-term supporting cast around the one-time All-Star."

This is the crux of where Charlotte is right now. Certainly, LaMelo Ball wants to win. He wants to do it in Charlotte, saying after the season that he wants to keep building. But does a draft pick this season mean they'll start winning?

The new front office, led by Jeff Peterson, has been very future-oriented. They drafted Tidjane Salaun sixth overall, and he wasn't going to be NBA-ready for a few years and is still just 19. They attempted to trade Mark Williams, a 23-year-old center, for a 2031 pick and a rookie. They're looking far ahead, but how does that mesh with a star on the roster who wants to win?

Ultimately, Hughes believes this roster needs another reliable starter in the age range of the rest of the core. "No other Hornet under 25 profiled as a reliable starter other than center Mark Williams, who was again beset by injuries and is only still on the roster because the Los Angeles Lakers rescinded a trade," he argued.

That probably doesn't change Charlotte's goals with the fourth pick. That pick can be used on a player who can fit into the lineup and start alongside Ball, Brandon Miller, Williams, and the others. It may change how the team uses the 33rd and 34th picks, however.

They've been rumored as a team that could trade back up into the first round, and this sentiment proposed by the B/R insider suggests that's an even stronger likelihood. Two first-round picks, albeit one coming no earlier than the mid-20s, would be better to fix the roster than one and two early second-rounders.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Lessons learned from LaMelo Ball's worst game as a Charlotte Hornet

It’s time: Why the Hornets should cash in on a Miles Bridges trade while they can

NBA mock draft roundup: A clear favorite is emerging in projections for the Hornets

Hornets urged to prioritize Tre Mann — Analyst calls him a ‘borderline must’ re-sign