Every team has to do their due diligence, but during one top prospect, the internet started running wild with speculation on if the Hornets would be poised to make a major move before the NBA Draft.
Well this is an interesting twist.
Could North Carolina forward, and projected top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Caleb Wilson find his way onto the Charlotte Hornets?
Wouldn’t that be something?
Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer was present at the NBA Draft Combine and initially reported that Wilson had met with the Hornets and that he seemed genuinely pleased with how it went.
“It was really cool,” Wilson said. “I met with the Hornets really recently today actually, and I felt like it was extremely cool. They’re a really cool franchise and I went to North Carolina so you know the Hornets are huge [there]… I feel like the roster is nice. I was telling them that they have a good balance of shooting and physicality with the two in Moussa (Diabate) and Miles Bridges.”
Charlotte has a ton of interest in adding a big man to its roster, whether it be from the draft, free agency, or by trade. But one way or another, the Hornets intend on addressing that need.
All of last season, Miles Bridges slotted in as the starting power forward, and while he didn’t look out of place, the lack of length in the frontcourt is something that should be addressed.
A lot of Bridges’ shortcomings were masked by Diabate’s exceptional ability to battle down low and recover offensive rebounds.
Having Wilson lining up in Charlotte could pay dividends for the future of the franchise.
Wilson has elite length, measuring with a 7-foot long wingspan and a 9-foot standing reach, with jump-out-of-the-gym-type of athleticism.
With that length and athleticism, he managed to average 1.5 blocks and steals per game, causing him to be a total menace on the defensive end.
Of course, should Charlotte jump into the top-5 to take a player like Wilson, it’s going to cost a lot. It would have to come at the expense of at least Liam McNeely, Tijan Salaun, and a handful of high-end draft picks for any team to even consider.
The Ringer had published a pair of mock drafts earlier, one before the lottery, and one after. Both of those mocks had Wilson going fourth overall, which the Chicago Bulls are expected to select.
Charlotte previously dealt with Chicago during the Coby White trade, but recently, the Bulls had hired Bryson Graham from the Atlanta Hawks to oversee all basketball operations.
And as Chicago heads into a new era, the thought of the Bulls trading the fourth overall pick does seem a little farfetched.
Every team has to do their due diligence though, and that's exactly what the Hornets did when talking to Wilson.
But to hear how glowingly he thought of the franchise, it makes you wonder if the Hornets' brass are planning something come Draft Day.
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