Hornets make a baffling trade for this 2018 first-round pick

The Hornets already dealt center Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Williams, 23, tied fellow center Nick Richards (now with the Suns) tied for the team lead in blocks last season, averaging 1.2 per game in 44 games.

Trading Nurkic should make the Hornets' frontcourt even thinner. Charlotte took Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner with pick No. 34 of the second round after he won the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as college basketball's best center. 

Still, he likely lacks the upside to become a dominant force in the NBA. 

"As for his long-term upside, he may not project to All-Star levels, or even consistent starter status," Bleacher Report's NBA staff wrote of Kalkbrenner. "But in the right system, he profiles as a smart, experienced, versatile rotation big with potential two-way impact." 

Sexton — a 2018 first-round pick — could be a decent complement for Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball. In 63 games for the Jazz last season, he averaged 18.4 points per game and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field.

He could be considered a defensive liability, though. According to Basketball Reference,  Sexton posted a below-average 124 defensive rating (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) last season, the worst mark of his career. Nurkic has never had a defensive rating above 120 in his career. 

The Hornets ranked 16th in the league in points allowed (114.2) this past season. With Williams and Nurkic no longer on the roster, Charlotte's defense may backslide after a disappointing season, where it went 19-63.