Hornets Rumors

Southeast Notes: Sarr, Wizards, LeVert, Hornets

June 4th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In a new interview with Grant Afseth of RG.org, All-Rookie Wizards big man Alex Sarr indicated that his growth during his debut NBA season extended beyond his stat line.

“I feel like kind of everything,” Sarr said. “Defensively, I think physicality. Offensively, trying to get to the rim more, more drives. So I think that’s how I developed the most, for sure.”

Across 67 contests, the 6’10” forward/center logged averages of 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game for Washington. He had a fairly inefficient start as a shooter, Afseth notes, as he connected on just 39.4% of his field goal attempts and 30.8% of his three-point tries.

“They’re holding everybody accountable,” Sarr told Afseth regarding the approach of head coach Brian Keefe and his staff. “Trying to build something here and everybody’s bought into building our identity.”

After an encouraging debut 2024/25 season, Sarr is now gearing up to represent his native France in this summer’s EuroBasket competition.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In a new Wizards offseason preview, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) breaks down routes for Washington to add to its $18.4MM in cap space; takes stock of the trade markets for veterans like Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, and Jordan Poole; and proposes methods for the team to move up in this year’s draft.
Bringing back free agent Hawks guard Caris LeVert is expected to be a primary goal for Atlanta this summer, reports Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). LeVert proved critical as a bench scorer, and helped stabilize Atlanta’s minutes when All-Star guard Trae Young sat. After being acquired in a February trade, LeVert posted averages of 14.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 2.9 APG while Atlanta finished the season after the deadline on a 17-14 run. The 30-year-old is wrapping up a two-year, $32MM deal. Williams notes that Atlanta possesses LeVert’s Bird rights, meaning the team could re-sign him to a big deal without requiring cap room.
With the Hornets currently in the midst of the longest active playoff drought in the NBA, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscriber link) examines Charlotte’s roster and considers which players will and will not return. Despite a couple play-in tournament appearances, the Hornets have not played a postseason series since 2016.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Edgecombe, Hornets, Raptors

May 31st, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Rory Maher

After taking a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers‘ high-octane offense only managed 94 points in a Game 5 loss in New York. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, that total was a playoff-low for the Pacers, who also turned the ball over 20 times, the most turnovers they’ve committed in a game this postseason.

“We’re a resilient group,” star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “We always want to respond when things don’t go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. … We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”

Despite the wire-to-wire defeat, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam is confident Indiana will rebound with a strong home showing tonight in Game 6, according to Collier.

“You’re going to have bad games,” Siakam said. “This is the NBA, and there’s going to be times where a team is going to play hard. In fact, they’re going to beat you.

“It is just all about us, man. It’s always been us against the world, and I don’t expect it to change. … We are 3-2 in a series, and we have an opportunity to go back home and show what we’re made of.”

Here are a few more notes from around the East:

ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Zach Kram and Chris Herring list some keys to watch ahead of Game 6. Kram views the health and play of Aaron Nesmith as the Pacers‘ biggest X factor, while how well Jalen Brunson holds up on defense will be critical for the Knicks.
Rival executives believe the Hornets will target V.J. Edgecombe if he’s still available at No. 4 in next month’s draft, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, who hears the Baylor guard had an “excellent” interview with Charlotte. Unsurprisingly, O’Connor has the Hornets selecting Edgecombe — who’s also the fourth-rated prospected on ESPN’s big board — at No. 4 in his latest mock draft.
According to O’Connor, several rival teams think the Raptors are leaning toward selecting a prospect who can contribute right away rather than a long-term project with their lottery pick. Toronto holds the No. 9 pick in June’s draft. For what it’s worth, O’Connor has the team picking Washington State wing Cedric Coward.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Mitchell, Burks, Hawks

May 30th, 2025 at 8:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hornets have the ignominious honor of holding the league’s longest active playoff drought, leaving them with many questions to answer heading into the offseason, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone.

In a mailbag column, Boone writes that he expects the team to add more veteran presence to its young core, along the lines of last year’s Taj Gibson signing. The goal would be to help build a winning locker room culture and assist in the development of head coach Charles Lee, who himself is still learning the ropes of being an NBA veteran coach.

Boone also advises fans not to overreact if 2024 lottery pick Tidjane Salaün spends more time in the G League next year, writing that rushing his development would be a mistake and would hurt him in the long run. The sixth pick in last year’s draft averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per night for Charlotte, while shooting just 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three, though he was always known to be a project who would take multiple years to be ready for major contributions.

As for roster moves, Boone says the team could use another center or power forward, especially one who can shoot. Meanwhile, Tre Mann appears to be on the road to recovery from a back injury that cut his season short and is entering restricted free agency. If he’s healthy, Boone believes that he might be more likely to sign a qualifying offer and hit the open market next year than to sign a long-term deal.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

6’4″ shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe is rumored to be a favorite for the Hornets‘ fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft if he’s still available, writes Boone. Boone points to his strong defensive pedigree as a great fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in Lee’s system, but warns that he’ll need to improve his ball-handling to become a more well-rounded offensive threat.
After a strong second half of the season following a mid-year trade to the Heat, Davion Mitchell is expected to receive an $8.7MM qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. However, Chiang writes that the most likely outcome is that the Heat allow another team to pursue an offer sheet with the 26-year-old defensive-minded guard before deciding how he fits into their future plans. Chiang writes that Mitchell could garner offers that approach the full mid-level exception ($14.1MM), and the Heat are only around $4MM from the luxury tax without much hope of putting together a top-tier team for next year. They are also expected to pursue as much cap space in 2026 as possible, making multiyear deals complicated.
After a career shooting year, Alec Burks is hoping to be back with the Heat next season, writes Chiang. “It was a good year. I learned a lot. Even though I’m in my 14th year, I still learned something. So I’m glad I was here,” Burks said. The soon-to-be 34-year-old started both play-in games for Miami but only appeared in Game 1 of the team’s first-round matchup with the Cavaliers. Coach Erik Spoelstra praised his ability to stay ready for whatever was asked of him, saying, “There aren’t a lot of vets that really want to accept these kinds of roles. That’s just the reality. And he is not only able to accept it, but he thrives in that role.”
The Hawks are desperately trying to move out of the middle of the pack to become a legitimate contender, writes Keith Smith of Spotrac. The front office has decisions to make regarding the free agency of longtime center Clint Capela, who was supplanted this year by Onyeka Okongwu in the starting five, as well as new acquisitions Caris LeVert and Larry Nanc e Jr., which could decide how the team’s depth looks next season. Smith writes that it would make sense for LeVert and Atlanta to come to terms on a deal in the ballpark of $12MM annually over two or three years, while the team’s ability to retain Nance may rest on what kind of outside offers he gets. Dyson Daniels and Trae Young are both extension-eligible this summer, though Smith believes it would make more sense to extend Daniels than Young, given that Young’s role in the team’s long-term plans remains uncertain. And, of course, none of this is likely to happen before the team replaces recently fired general manager Landry Fields.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Howard, Sarr, Carrington

May 20th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat must be aggressive this offseason and willing to remain in luxury tax territory to improve the roster, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. If Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant and/or Zion Williamson become available at the right price, the Heat should pursue those opportunities, according to Jackson, who says that includes looking into the possibility of making a deal with the Celtics, who are facing a prohibitive tax bill next season.

The Heat should also gauge the Hornets‘ interest in removing protections on the 2027 first-round pick the Heat owe them for the Terry Rozier deal, perhaps by offering an unprotected 2032 pick with added incentives, Jackson says. That would allow Miami to offer up to four first-round picks instead of three in a deal for a star.

What the Heat need to stop doing, in Jackson’s view, is overvaluing their assets. While they shouldn’t be shopped outright, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro shouldn’t be off the table in a blockbuster deal if it helps the team acquire an even more talented player, Jackson contends.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat should seriously consider moving the No. 20 pick in this year’s draft, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. The pick they owe the Hornets currently puts them under restrictions from trading some of their future first-rounders. If they deal the No. 20 pick for any first-round pick in 2027, it could open multiple first-round picks for trades in the coming years, Winderman notes.
Jett Howard got more opportunities in his second season with the Magic but didn’t take advantage of them, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. He appeared in 60 games but averaged just 4.5 points in 11.7 minutes per game. Howard remains confident he can be an impact player with more playing time. “I can shoot the ball at a pretty high level,” he said. “Getting used to doing that out there … It’s hard being called in sometimes and not other times, but that’s just with anything [as] a young guy trying to get into the league, trying to get navigate through that and get some comfortability with that.”
As we relayed earlier today, Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington earned All-Rookie honors. How rare is that for the Wizards franchise? They are the first Washington players to make an All-Rookie team since Rui Hachimura was a second-team pick in 2019/20, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post notes. The only other time the franchise had two selections was when Rod Thorn and Gus Johnson earned the honor in 1963/64 for the Baltimore Bullets.

Hornets’ Charles Lee ‘Excited’ About Offseason

May 20th, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Charles Lee‘s first year as the Hornets‘ head coach didn’t play out as he hoped. The team extended its NBA-leading playoff drought to nine consecutive seasons and posted its worst record (19-63) since going 7-59 as the Bobcats in 2011/12. However, Lee tells Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer that he remains confident in a brighter future in Charlotte.

“I’m excited about our offseason,” Lee said. “We have clarity with our (lottery) pick. I think that our team is in a much better spot this year than we were last year. There’s also clarity with who the coach is and what’s expected of you in the offseason. So, I think that we’ve laid out a great schedule for our guys to just continue to get better. We’ve created a great environment for these guys to be able to come in and work, and be around each other, our staff, and just to try to build some more winning habits.”

A report in March indicated that rival teams believe it could be an active offseason for the Hornets, and I noted in my offseason preview on Monday that there likely won’t be many players on the roster who are totally off the table in trade conversations.

Veteran forward Miles Bridges, who was said to be a trade candidate prior to February’s deadline, is one player whose name could resurface in rumors this summer. However, he plans on sticking around the Charlotte area more than he typically would and organizing voluntary workouts for teammates, Boone writes.

“I love that Miles wants to spearhead that,” Lee said. “I think a big part of any type of culture or organization is your best players kind of driving things forward. And him being the leader and wanting to make sure he puts all the guys together in order to work and in order to grow and to learn from one another, I think it’s really important. And he’s kind of set a tone from last year and he wants to continue that ball rolling forward in terms of what work ethic looks like, what professional habits looks like.”

A pair of Hornets point guards, LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, will also be worth watching closely this offseason. Both players are coming off season-ending injuries – ankle and wrist surgeries for Ball and a back issue for Mann – and Ball has been the subject of trade speculation, while Mann is eligible for restricted free agency.

Lee spoke to Boone as if he expected Ball to be back in Charlotte and said the star guard’s recovery is progressing well. He also said that Mann is making “really good progress” as he makes his way back from his back injury and spoke enthusiastically about the idea of the club re-signing the four-year veteran.

“Tre, he’s a phenomenal player, even better teammate and person,” Lee told The Observer. “And so when you don’t have a guy who can fill it up on the board, can guard, who’s competitive, can make life easier for Melo, and Miles, and Brandon (Miller), and Mark (Williams) or whoever is out there on the court, he’s just such a great talent. So, to miss him to out there and his skill set was definitely unfortunate.

“But also, to just have him around on the court, vocally or at practice or teaching guys — because he does have such a high basketball IQ. But, yeah, I think he brings so much value. It’ll be nice to have him back in the mix hopefully next year.”

2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Charlotte Hornets

May 19th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

2024 was a year of change for the Hornets, who traded away veterans like Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington, and Gordon Hayward, hired a new head of basketball operations (Jeff Peterson), and brought aboard respected assistant Charles Lee to replace head coach Steve Clifford.

In the wake of those changes, there was plenty of chatter ahead of the 2024/25 season about how good the vibes in Charlotte were, leading to some speculation that the Hornets could be a dark-horse playoff (or at least play-in) contender in an Eastern Conference that didn't look all that competitive outside of its top few teams.

That may have been an overly optimistic outlook, but it's hard to say for sure, since we never really got a look at a fully healthy version of the Hornets in '24/25. Injuries decimated Charlotte's rotation over the course of the season, with starters like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams each missing weeks or months at a time and Grant Williams suffering a season-ending ACL tear in November.

After a passable 6-9 start, the Hornets went into a tailspin, losing 18 of their next 19 games to slip to 7-27. As discouraging as that stretch was, it made the team's approach to the rest of the season fairly straightforward -- Charlotte was once again in seller mode, sending out Nick Richards, Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and Mark Williams in three separate trades in January and February.

The Williams deal was ultimately voided by the Lakers due to concerns about his physical, but the fact that the Hornets were prepared to trade a 23-year-old big man for far-off draft assets (a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 first-rounder) was eye-opening. Maybe the Hornets have their own concerns about Williams; maybe they really like rookie forward Dalton Knecht, who would've ended up in Charlotte if that deal hadn't fallen through; maybe they just thought the offer was too good in terms of overall value to pass up.

Generally speaking though, the move suggested that Peterson is in no hurry to transition out of a rebuild and into win-now mode. It'll be interesting to see if that thinking carries over to the offseason or whether the Hornets begin acting with a little more urgency to end a nine-year playoff drought, the NBA's longest active streak.

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2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 16th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Jazz were among the teams who left Monday’s draft lottery disappointed, as Brooklyn slipped two spots to No. 8 while Utah, the NBA’s worst team during the 2024/25 season, ended up at No. 6.

Still, while they won’t be picking as high in the lottery as they might like, the Nets and Jazz will enter this year’s draft armed with plenty of ammunition. Brooklyn controls a league-high five 2025 draft picks, including four first-rounders and an early second-rounder. Utah, meanwhile, is one of just two teams (along with the Magic) controlling four picks in this year’s draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

Four other clubs – the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards, and Thunder – own three picks apiece, so those seven teams combine to control 25 of the 59 selections in the 2025 draft.

In addition to those teams with three or more picks, 12 more clubs own a pair of 2025 draft selections, while another 10 control one apiece. That latter group includes the Mavericks, whose No. 1 overall pick is their only selection in this year’s draft.

That leaves just a single NBA team without a draft pick this year: the Nuggets. Denver traded its 2025 first-rounder to Orlando back in 2021 as part of a package for Aaron Gordon in a deal that has worked out exceedingly well for the 2023 champions and sent out its 2025 second-rounder last offseason in a Reggie Jackson salary-dump. The Nuggets could still trade into this draft, but for now they’re the only team on track to sit it out.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2025 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 59 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Brooklyn Nets (5): 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Teams with two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers: 3, 35
Toronto Raptors: 9, 39
Houston Rockets: 10, 59
Chicago Bulls: 12, 45
Atlanta Hawks: 13, 22
Minnesota Timberwolves: 17, 31
Indiana Pacers: 23, 54
Boston Celtics: 28, 32
Phoenix Suns: 29, 52
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 51
Memphis Grizzlies: 48, 56
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49, 58

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 1
New Orleans Pelicans: 7
Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Miami Heat: 20
Detroit Pistons: 37
Golden State Warriors: 41
Sacramento Kings: 42
Milwaukee Bucks: 47
New York Knicks: 50
Los Angeles Lakers: 55

Teams with no picks:

Denver Nuggets

Hornets’ Josh Longstaff Among Suns’ Head Coach Candidates

May 15th, 2025 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

Hornets assistant Josh Longstaff is among the candidates receiving consideration for the Suns‘ head coaching job, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A veteran NBA assistant, Longstaff was first hired by the Thunder in 2010 and has since been part of coaching staffs for the Knicks, Bucks, Bulls, and Hornets. He was hired by Charlotte under Charles Lee last offseason and coached the Hornets’ Summer League team in July.

Longstaff also previously spent a season as the head coach of the Erie BayHawks, who were Atlanta’s G League affiliate at the time (2017/18). He worked for Team USA under Jeff Van Gundy during World Cup qualifiers as well, Scotto notes.

Reporting earlier this week indicated that the Suns have cast a wide net in their coaching search and have interviewed more than 15 candidates for their head coaching position. In other words, the fact that Longstaff is simply among that group doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a frontrunner or even that he’s assured of advancing to the team’s second round of meetings.

Still, reports have indicated that the Suns are likely to hire a younger, first-time head coach this time around on the heels of on-and-done seasons with a pair of veteran coaches (Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer). Longstaff, 42, would fit that bill.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wizards, Giannis, Heat, Isaac

May 14th, 2025 at 9:26am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets were one of the finalists in the draft lottery but wound up with the fourth pick, dropping one spot from their pre-lottery position. However, Charlotte’s front office and coach put a positive spin on the outcome.

“Up until this moment, everyone just (had) a ton of anxiety, just waiting to see where we would be picking,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson told the Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone (subscription required). “But now that we know we are picking four, it helps clear some things up in conversations with other teams and continue the process as we are here with the draft prospects at the draft combine. So we are really excited.”

Hornets head coach Charles Lee expressed similar feelings.

“Excitement, clarity,” he said. “I think that this whole time, you are sitting and (wondering) what pick do you get? But I know talking to Jeff, talking to (assistant GM) Dotun (Akinwale) and the entire front office. They’ve talked about how deep of a draft class this is.I think they have a lot of the intangibles, in terms of great work ethic and great competitiveness, and they understand the team game and what it’s going to take to really impact winning at a high level. So, I look forward to kind of getting into the weeds with Dotun, and Jeff and the front office, and figuring out who is that next pick to continue to help us to build. ”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards had miserable lottery luck, falling from No. 2 to No. 6. “We started the day with zero, and we walked away with six. So that’s the mindset we have coming in,” general manager Will Dawkins told Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “We gained the sixth pick this year, and we also have 18,” he said. “So time to get back to work with our scouts.” The latter pick was the first-rounder acquired from the Grizzlies ahead of the trade deadline. Dawkins is apparently open for business if some team wants to move up in the draft or if the Wizards chose to seek a higher pick by packaging both of theirs. “We’ll look to move … but we’re very comfortable staying where we’re at,” Dawkins said.
Could the Hawks be a dark-horse candidate to pull off a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal? Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution believes the franchise should pull out all the stops to make that happen. Cunningham anticipates that the Hawks could offer the Bucks two of their three top players — Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels — plus their two first-round picks this season (Nos. 13 and 22) and up to three more first-round picks through the 2032 draft.
The Heat aren’t going anywhere — at least in terms of their local broadcasts. They have reached a multiyear agreement with FanDuel Sports Network to remain on FanDuel Sports Network Sun, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac appeared in 71 games, the second-most of his career, but he was far from satisfied with his season. His playing time was spotty, partly due to his offensive struggles. He shot 41.4 percent overall and 25.8 percent on threes. Isaac believes he needs improve his stamina, he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “Definitely inconsistent,” he said. “I started to feel a little better towards the end of the season, started to feel a little lighter, a little more agile. So, I’m taking that into the summer to just focus on my game, focus on really getting in shape, shedding some weight and kind of getting back to where I was before.” Isaac has three years left on his contract.

Draft Lottery Notes: Spurs, Sixers, Mavs, Nets, Hornets, More

May 13th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of last night’s eventful NBA draft lottery, a series of draft experts – including ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic – have updated their 2025 mocks.

A common theme has emerged in those mock drafts, with ESPN’s duo, O’Connor, and Vecenie questioning the fit of certain players who are expected to come off the board right after Cooper Flagg at No. 1. Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, for instance, has long been viewed as the consensus No. 2 in this year’s draft pool, but he’s not exactly a clean fit for the Spurs next to guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.

The Sixers, meanwhile, could add a one-and-done prospect like Harper’s former Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey, but the 18-year-old guard/forward – considered by many pundits to be the third-best player in this year’s draft – is viewed as more of a long-term project who may not fit into Philadelphia’s win-now plans.

In other words, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the unexpected results of Monday’s lottery have opened the door for some tantalizing offseason trade possibilities. With the Mavericks, San Antonio, and Philadelphia all closer to contention than is typical for teams at the top of the draft, could Dallas or the Spurs consider using their pick in a package for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo? Could the 76ers trade down, or perhaps even swing for a star themselves by attaching Paul George to the No. 3 pick and a couple future first-rounders?

As Hollinger notes, there’s some intrigue further down the lottery as well, where teams like the Pelicans and Rockets don’t necessarily need to add rookies to their roster and might consider shopping their picks at No. 7 and 10, respectively. Hollinger also suggests that the Trail Blazers could look into putting the No. 11 pick in a package to improve the trade value of a veteran like Jerami Grant or Deandre Ayton.

Here’s more on the heels of Monday’s shocking draft lottery:

Rival teams view the Nets as a team to monitor for a possible trade up in the draft, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). As Fischer explains, the Nets have three additional first-round picks this year (at No. 19, 26, and 27) on top of their lottery pick at No. 8 and have an excess of future first-rounders as well. They also lack a blue-chip prospect to build around.
Several of the media members who were in the lottery drawing room on Monday, including Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, and Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link), have published stories from behind the scenes. As Boone writes, although Charlotte dropped one spot from their pre-lottery rank, Hornets governor Rick Schnall was relieved his team will be picking in the top four. “We are obviously disappointed we didn’t get the No. 1, but it could be a lot worse,” Schnall said. “I thought (for a minute) we were going to be seventh. But we are going to get a good player.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who was also in attendance for the drawing, responds to conspiracy theories about the lottery being rigged by explaining why he believes that’s very unlikely.
With many fans displeased about the outcome of Monday’s lottery and questioning whether the event is above board, Michael McCann of Sportico digs into why a lottery determines the NBA’s draft order at all, exploring other ways the league could distribute talent and explaining why those alternatives wouldn’t necessarily be any better.
A series of ESPN’s NBA reporters takes a look at the biggest question facing each of the 13 teams in the lottery after Monday’s results.

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