The Charlotte Hornets are no strangers to the NBA Draft Lottery. They haven't been to the playoffs in eight years.
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But new executive president Jeff Peterson and his front office staff hope to change all that. And the Hornets released a video giving their fans an inside look at how they approached the 2024 NBA Draft, with Peterson and others talking about the prospects and who they could potentially take with their No. 6 overall pick.
Eventually, Charlotte selected French forward Tidjane Salaun, but not before considering several options, including the idea of trading up. This, of course, was all revealed in the video.
Unseen footage from the Hornets' war room on the first day of the NBA draft.
When Tidjane Salaun fell to six: "We have our guy, let's take our guy." pic.twitter.com/Rea22HrGRF
— HornetsMuse (@hornetsmuse_) August 2, 2024
The Hornets have undergone a whole makeover when it comes to the front office and coaching staff. Peterson got the job in March, coming over from his assistant GM role with the Brooklyn Nets. Later, ex-coach Steve Clifford stepped down (moving into the front office) and was replaced by former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee.
They also acquired shooting guard Josh Green from the Dallas Mavericks in a six-team trade and drafted guard KJ Simpson in the second round (No. 42 overall). Simpson has since been signed to a two-way contract.
So, it's not been a splashy offseason, but just like all teams, Charlotte has all the way until February to make a trade. But for the Hornets, it's clearly all about sticking with a core that, when healthy, is fairly promising. It includes the likes of point guard LaMelo Ball, and forwards Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller, who proved to be dynamic with major upside as a rookie last season.
The Hornets have won more than 40 games just twice in the past decade.
(This article originally appeared on Hoops Wire and was republished with permission.)
