The prevailing thought among rival teams is that the Hornets are more likely to draft Brandon Miller than Scoot Henderson at No. 2, according to both Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (subscription required) and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Still, while Miller may be widely viewed as the favorite, it sounds like that intel is coming from outside the organization, with the Hornets not tipping their hand on their plans. According to Woo, not everyone around the league is convinced that Charlotte is zeroing in on Miller, especially since Henderson reportedly had a strong first workout with the team.
As draft day nears, it’s worth remembering that Jabari Smith – and not Paolo Banchero – was long considered by rival teams to be the pick at No. 1 in the weeks leading up to last year’s draft. We’ll see if the Hornets have a surprise in store for us this Thursday like Orlando did a year ago.
Here’s more on the 2023 NBA draft, which is just two days away:
- The Rockets‘ No. 4 pick has been the subject of trade rumors this month, but opposing teams believe Houston will likely stand pat, writes Fischer. Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson increasingly looks like the frontrunner to be selected at No. 4, according to both Fischer and Woo.
- According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, sources in recent days have begun to discuss the possibility of Cam Whitmore sliding down the lottery due to poor workouts. Both O’Connor and ESPN have Whitmore at No. 9 in their latest mock drafts, though O’Connor admits that the latest rumors might be a smoke screen.
- Sixers ownership has given president of basketball operations Daryl Morey the go-ahead to be aggressive as he attempts to trade into the 2023 draft, reports Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. The team, which currently doesn’t have a pick in 2023, would like to acquire a second-rounder. The most likely scenario is Philadelphia simply buying a pick for cash, Neubeck says.
- Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, whose stock has been on the rise in recent weeks, received a Green Room invite for draft night, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Prosper is the 22nd prospect to be invited to the Green Room (Twitter link).
- In a pair of articles for The Athletic, David Aldridge spoke to several anonymous NBA coaches and executives to get their thoughts on this year’s top guard prospects and top forward prospects.
Prosper is prospering after a blah college career
For the luxury tax teams, I always like the idea of buying 2nd round picks, then do big pay cut for free agents.
Pay cut is always a key to success.
Dear other NBA teams: Please take any Sixer under contract not named Maxey or Embiid for a 2nd.
The Hornets should and probably WILL take Scoot. A losing team just needs to go for the best possible player, PERIOD, and hope they land a superstar .
Already have one in LaMelo!!!
Must pick Miller.
If they take Scoot, should they deal Lamelo?
Play ball at SG
Rockets are fools. Like getting vets will help them now. Do all you can to get Scoot. Can you still be this useless. Even with Moreyon gone ….
You need two to tango. You’d have to imagine they’ve TRIED to trade up for Scoot. Amen Thompson would fit well next to Green, too. They need to bring in a vet or two either way. Udoka seems to want a vet PG that can run an offense. Green, Jabari and others have been vocal about having vets on the squad.
Chris Paul to the rockets?
Great, drafting another guard to add to KPJ, Green, Christopher, TyTy Washington, Nix, Matthews, Hudgins, and Eason (did I miss any?). Just trade down in the draft and get another promising center or PF like Jabari Smith. Weed through the guards that we (Rockets) already have. I am sure a few teams will be interested in 6 out of the 8 guy named above. I am not saying trade them all, but trade out 2 or 3 of them and try to get some big bodies in the mix. I love Sengun, but he is more offense will minimum defense. We need defense in a bad (maybe overly dramatic on this) desperate way. Forget getting Harden, Westbrook, or even CP3 again. Get a guy who can stop the easy shots in the paint with Jabari Smith!
Mathews was traded at the deadline and Eason is not a guard so yeah I guess you missed some? Hudgins and Nix aren’t NBA caliber players and KPJ is better suited as a 2/3. They need a guy that can facilitate like Amen. Don’t just trade down just to do it. Take the best player available.
If there is any year for a contender to buy 2nd round picks, it’s this one. Guys like TJD, Jalen Wilson, Brandin Podziemski, GG Jackson, Keyontae Johnson, Isaiah Wong, Andre Jackson, etc. should all be effective 2nd unit contributors for cheap. They all bring something above average to the table.
1 or 2 of those guys may end up going R1, but the rest should be there for the buying unless other teams feel the same way.