LaMelo to CLIPPERS?! | Why Hornets Should TRADE UP for Dylan Harper at 2 | Edgecombe a lock at 4?

LaMelo to CLIPPERS?! | Why Hornets Should TRADE UP for Dylan Harper at 2 | Edgecombe a lock at 4?

Coming up today on the Lockdown Hornets podcast, Lonzo Ball has a prediction on where his brother might play basketball next season. Plus, David Walker, the OG Walker, he makes his return. It’s been a while. Excited to have him aboard to talk about also the other options there in the NBA draft at number four. That’s all today. LiAngelo, you are Locked on Hornets, your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. In a minute, cuz we live. It’s Locked On Hornets, part of the Locked On Network. It’s your team every day. Thanks for making us your first listen. We’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast and that includes YouTube. There’s Doug Branson. Every hornetsboxcore.com. Also host Locked on NBA. I’m Walker Mail. You can listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. And there he is, the OG Walker making a return for the first time in quite some time. He needed a break. He took he took a Hornets fandom sbatical in some ways. At least a podcast sbatical, but he is back and we’re going to talk about the future. David Walker on Twitter at David B Walker. David, it’s good to see you, man. It’s great to be back. I can’t even blame Doug and believe me, I blame Doug for most of the second half of the season. Every Hornets box score, that’s awesome. It’s no joke, people. But, uh, he told me he told me that he told me what would happen. And, uh, you know, yeah, we just needed a little break from each other. That’s it. The warrants and myself. Great season. Uh great experience. But uh I’m ready. I’m ready now, guys. We’ve moved on. We know where we’re picking. We know what the lottery looks like. We’re almost through the playoffs, guys. So, it’s time to jump back in. Yeah, that’s right. We’re almost there. Uh we’re we’re so close. Real quickly, I do want to tell you that this episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code lockdown NBA atmonarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. David, what’s nice though is that you’re back for the toxic draft conversation because I know that this this is going to be real healthy. VJO, Trey Johnson, Ace Bailey. Doug, did we get any Ace Bailey comments that were like because our thumbnail for the YouTube video was Ace Concerns? And I know when we have those leadin thumbnails, people are just going to reply without watching the show. And look, th this this thumbnail is designed for you to click on it. And that way it is clickbait for some way. But there are people that’ll write before they even hear anything we have to say and just great, this is it. They don’t like Ace. Bing bada boom. They don’t even know the reasons why. I just imagine that our comment section with some of those types of episodes, uh, it’s a little like a graveyard where there’s just a lot of death and sadness there. It’s just very divided. I wouldn’t even say death or sadness. I would just say it’s extremely divided between VJ and Trey Johnson and Ace Bailey. I I think everyone has their particular guys that they like and there’s a lot of And it’s not even close when it’s obviously very it’s obviously very close. It’s just very easy to type. It’s not even close. But I think most of the Ace Bailey folks are reasonable. I mean, you have uh this one here from Mad Rocks was right, 4277, who says, “What’s the problem? He’s not injuryprone, doesn’t have offc court issues, or or isn’t a me first, team second kind of guy, or he just doesn’t have a high enough bus potential?” Just saying what might be keeping Charlotte from thinking he fits, and can they maybe just pick him if he’s available and trade him for players that fit the Charlotte mold better? Well, go watch the episode, buddy. you know, go watch it because we talk all about it and we’ll get some David comments on it here in just a moment. But but that that’s the trio debate, right? We we all think it’s really and maybe Coniple, you know, squeaks in there just a little bit, but you have not only Coniple to the outside just a bit, but Ace Bailey, Trey Johnson, VJ Edgecomb, and maybe Dylan Harper still. It look we we felt like we were going to move on from Dylan Harper, right? It felt like once you did not have a top two a top three pick for sure. Now that you don’t have a top three selection, now for sure you’re out of the Dylan Harper sweep stakes. Unless you wanted to trade up. So perhaps that’s still a possibility. Lonzo Ball thinks it’s a possibility. If you go to What an Experience podcast, there was a clip circulating just a couple of days ago on Twitter, social media, all that good stuff where what an Experience podcast hosted by Lonzo Ball and LiAngelo Ball. They were both trying to figure out how the early part of the draft was going to go. Okay, who’s going to take who? yada yada. All that good stuff. Same stuff we do here. And Lonzo said, “I low-key have LaMelo going to the Clips and I got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets.” The real quote is reversed. I low-key got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets and I got Melo going to the Clips. And then when he says it, there are a couple of guests who I’m not sure who they are, but there were a couple of guests on the pod and they all start kind of laughing a little bit. They don’t know exactly what to say to that in like the first three seconds following what Lonzo says, but it’s LaMelo’s brother. LaMelo and Lonzo are close, right? We’ve seen that relationship grow right before our very eyes with them being so much in the public eye. David, we’ll go to you. Does this mean anything? And if so, what does it mean? Oh, no. I don’t think it means anything. Um, were so you got they were kind of laughing like a knowing laugh or like uh like a like a maybe? Well, may maybe more. You can describe it too, Doug. I don’t know. What do you think? Like it it didn’t seem like a knowing laugh to me. It just felt like a Oh, okay. Wow. I just don’t know how to respond. And so maybe even like not nervous laughter, but just a laughter because it didn’t seem like they knew how to respond to that. I don’t know. But that that was the reaction to it. the the the LaMelo to LA uh thing has been a thing since he was drafted by the Hornets. First, it was the Lakers forever and the Clippers were always in there, too. And, you know, who knows? It may end up happening at some point. I’m sure the Lakers and or Clippers might want to weigh in on on on that option. Um, and we haven’t heard from them, right? They didn’t there was no Lakers brass or Clippers brass on this episode of what an experienced podcast. Okay. Um, so yeah, I mean I just feel like um especially the Ball family, but you know one who’s you know the the the Ball family member that’s never said anything about going home to LA. It’s LaMelo Ball. It’s LaMelo. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he’s always played this Well, he’s always played this the right way. Like LaMelo has always done this the right way. And that’s what would be disappointing about any kind of LaMelo ball move, right? It’s because he has this has been so tragic in that he has played so few games and and we haven’t gotten to witness his development in a way that would make us all very sure that moving forward with LaMelo Ball on the current contract would be the right move for the Charlotte Hornets. because of the lack of games and the lack of playoffs and the lack of success that these questions will continue to creep in whether they’re delivered by, you know, ball family members or not. And honestly, when I look at what the Clippers situation is, I think, you know, they want to move forward with James Harden and they want to move forward with Kawhi Leonard. They’re on the record of saying we’re going to keep going. And so, but what do they need? They need some offense because they were a good defensive team, but they need some shooting. Like Chris Dunn was unplayable as their point guard in the playoffs. So honestly, like this isn’t as ridiculous. This isn’t just like people yucking it up and dreaming of like dream scenario. Like this actually makes sense for the Clippers and they have the assets such that a trade, you know, the contracts that like they could go Norm Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. and some number of picks, maybe one or probably two first round picks for LaMelo Ball. And that would be three first round picks. I don’t know. The protections would probably make a big difference there, but that I can tell you what I’d want, but Right. I don’t know what it would be, but I can tell you I’d want more than the two. But I hear you. Yeah, it could it could go down. If it’s two unprotected If it’s two unprotected Clippers picks with how old their stars are, depending on what years they fall in, those could be really valuable first round picks. I I’m not even saying it doesn’t make sense, you know, for the Hornets possibly to even certainly take a look at this. I mean, that was my one question when they fell a fourth in the lottery is well, we’ll see what this current uh leadership wants to do. Are they in do they want to go ahead and just press the fast forward button? Do they want to make a a major change and look at what they can get for Lamelo Ball? I think that question’s out there. So, like I’m not even bashing on the Ball family or the Ball Brothers for uh for mentioning this on the internet. And so, yeah, it it makes sense. It’s just I don’t know, you know, well, that move makes sense. I don’t know that it’s even exclusive to LA, even though that pairing might add up. Well, Lavar Lavar Ball the father has talked about this about the idea of moving the kids to the Clippers, right? And and we have the both Ball brothers on this podcast talking about it. I mean it would stretch credul to think that this conversation has not come up at some kind of family gathering. Now what LaMelo has said about it, who knows? Who knows how he really feels? He’s playing it the right way and being loyal to the team that just paid him a lot of money, which is I think what anyone would I think that’s what the Clippers would want him to do. That’s what any team would want to see from a guy that you’re about to either trade for or invest in or whatever. Um so he’s he’s done all of this the right way. Uh but but I think certainly these conversations have happened and and I think what LaMelo Ball’s focus is probably on which is what it should be on is getting back on the floor for whatever team he plays for and playing more than you know 30 40 games and showing what he can do and get back to an all-star game. But what also complicates this is the other part of what Lonzo said, which is he low-key sees the Hornets taking Dylan Harper. They’re not going to do that at four. He’s going to go he’s going to go two. So they have to they have to move up. But that even being a possibility is what I like LaMelo to the Clippers for whatever package in a vacuum would be I think difficult for Hornets fans to deal with because you have this guy who was an all-star. But Dylan Harper is is such an attractive piece at the guard position that it would it would blunt some of that impact I think. Yeah, let’s continue to talk about that because there’s still a lot to chew on with the idea. What would both happen in one fell three trade swoop? Getting Dylan Harper here in Charlotte, LaMelo to the Clippers. What would the Spurs be getting to make it worth their while? We’ll get to all of that coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast. Everywhere. Are LaMelo Ball and Dylan Harper mutually exclusive? That’s another question that we have. There’s still lots to explore. That’s still coming up in the next segment. LOH. This episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it’s easy to lose track. That’s where Monarch Money comes in. Your personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn’t just a budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts, investments, and spending in one place. So, you just stop managing your money and start building wealth instead. They give you easy collaboration where you can manage your money with your partner and it is smoother than ever. You can track shared and personal accounts and set goals, stay on the same page without the stress with allin-one convenience. Instead of juggling multiple apps, you can use Monarch to check your finances, track spending, and even plan the long-term goals. Again, you have so many ways that you can utilize Monarch money either by yourself or with your partner. Take control of your finances with MonarchMoney. Use code locked on [email protected] for 50% off your first year. That’s monarchmoney.com. Code locked on NBA for half off your first year. More locked on Hornets ahead. So those questions still remain. Uh one, how true is this? Right? Maybe maybe I’ll give you thoughts on that first. So how true is this? Do we take this with some a real possibility of happening? Well, you go to Lavar Ball. Doug, you brought it up. Lavar has been talking about this a little bit. There’s the revenge factor. He wants to seek revenge on the Lakers organization for having drafted Lonzo Ball and then traded Lonzo. Right when that happened, he said that it was the worst mistake that the Lakers have ever made. that it will be the worst mistake that the Lakers have ever made in the history of their franchise after they got rid of Lonzo. You know, they never did sign LiAngelo. They haven’t pursued LaMelo. Hell, they pursued another player on the Hornets roster and Mark Williams before they really pursued LaMelo. Maybe they did. The Hornets shut it down. But Lakers, they want revenge on him. Or at least Lavar does. And so Lavar is saying he likes Steve Balmer. He would love to be in the same building as the Lakers, right? He wants all three of the Ball brothers to go play for the Clippers organization. So, I still that’s in play. And then Lonzo says this on the podcast. So, I’m sure they’ve talked about it too, Doug. I completely agree. Like, I I think that they’ve talked about it for sure. But remember earlier this season before the trade deadline, remember when Lavar was in Charlotte and then he was in front of the social the team social media camera saying, “Help is on the way. Help is on the way.” And everybody started speculating to Charlotte. Oh my god, it’s going to happen. We had these reports. I think God, was it Jake Fischer? I don’t know if we were going fishing. I don’t know if we were going through the Stein line. I’m not sure who said it, but there was that possibility out there that the Hornets might make a move at the deadline. They could go after Lonzo. I think Lonzo might have touched on it. I’m not sure, but that was very much a talking point. And then nothing happened. we get to the trade deadline and the Hornets the biggest move they make is basically a kokei that’s it nerkage that’s it so it I I I just because they say it both things are true right they’ve talked about it they have have to have talked about it with the dad and the brother speaking this trying to speak this into existence this is their thing this is what Lavar Ball has made a living off of speaking something into existence so they can attempt that again but it also doesn’t mean that any of this is going to happen. Anything is possible in a post Luca to LA world. Like that’s we should just talk about if I don’t even think we should talk about if it’s possible or not. And and this also this is a new front office and so I think you have to be ready for anything. And they’ve already tried to to trade one of the core four pieces. So I just don’t think it would be ridiculous for them to move on at this point. And honestly there’s no report. I mean Tim Bontemps has been out before saying the Hornets are not interested in moving on for LaMelo Ball and I just don’t believe it. Like they haven’t won any games, right? If they had won if they had made the playoffs then maybe you could convince me like that that would be a difficult kind of move. But they they just haven’t won any games and so I think anything is possible at this point and honestly I think a move up for Dylan Harper wouldn’t even be all that difficult to go from four to two if the Hornets had fallen to seven in the draft lottery. This is why I said as as unlucky as you want to feel about the Hornets moving to four, they’re super lucky that they didn’t go to seven because that would have been tougher. But there’s been, you know, recent draft trades like the Markeel Folultz deal when when the Sixers moved up from 3 to one and all it cost them was a future Sacramento Kings first round pick. It wasn’t even a pick that they it wasn’t even their own pick. It was one that they owned from the Sacramento Kings that went to Boston. And so like I I think it would, you know, whether it’s the Miami pick or the Dallas pick or even one of these picks that would come over in a potential LA Clippers deal. The Hornets could get this done, move up to two, take Dylan Harper, and now you’re giving your organization and your front office and Charles Lee. You’re starting, you’re essentially giving them a player that they can mold in their image and that doesn’t have all of the injury and law and losing baggage that that LaMelo Ball has. Yeah, you’re hitting reset for to a certain degree for sure. And look, I mean that can be you could talk me into that just on its own, right? Like I there’s a certain segment of the fan base that is certainly at that point with LaMelo and and we’ve loved LaMelo. I love him for just being fun on the court and giving us something to watch over the last season. Believe me, those la those every Hornets boss scores without LaMelo were different than the ones with him. So, uh you know, the thing that’s interesting to me is like, okay, San Antonio, how many point guards do they need, right? Uh, and then the Sixers, you know, they kind of have their point guard, too. So, like, when do these talks start, you know, percolating and happening. I mean, it it it’s not the biggest leap in the world to your point, Doug, to imagine a deal like this getting worked out. I think that’s the other thing that you have to watch out for, though, right? Are there other teams that are going to want to jump up into those spots and grab a Dylan Harper and make this whole thing, you know, just a midpoint? Well, and and that’s why so going back to are Dylan Harper and LaMelo Ball M mutually exclusive, do you have to get rid of LaMelo? If you want to go up and get a Dylan Harper because there are shooting guards available right there at four that you’re going to be choosing from. You have three and you know at least at least two are going to be available. Probably all three if you ask me. I do think Ace Bailey will probably be the third pick, but I guess it’s not a guarantee. We’ll see what happens. It doesn’t make a ton of sense. Yeah. to keep LaMelo either by, you know, the way logistically how it would work out or or or more to the future. Like it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to have both of those guys bring in Dylan Harper when you have LaMelo unless you’re planning to move on pretty quick. That would go against everything that I’ve been talking about for a while. Like I I do believe that these guys can play alongside one another. I would welcome that. If you wanted to get rid of one of the picks to move up two spots to go get Dylan Harper, this would be something I I think he and LaMelo can play alongside each other. This goes back a little bit. It’s reminiscent of the Scoot Henderson debate that we had so many times in 2023. Dylan Harper a different player than what Scoot is. I actually think there are ways that he fits better with LaMelo because I do think Dylan Harper’s a better passer than what Scoot was. So like I actually think these guys alongside each other makes more sense to utilize the LaMelo ball catch and shoot ability there. And I don’t disagree that they couldn’t play together. I just think from day one you’re already having the conversation even if they’re in the same back especially if they’re in the same back court, right? And like you certainly Lonzo Lonzo Ball and Lavar Ball will have that conversation. They’re going to have it on in front of any camera in front of them. Yeah. I I don’t think there I don’t think it’s mutually exclusive. Like I think they can play together. I would have been talking about that had the Hornets landed the number two pick. I I think it’s very much a possibility, but I’m with David that it it would be a conversation and and if you could get not only asset value in terms of the first round picks from a team like the Clippers, but honestly like adding Norm Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. to your team would make you just better from a depth perspective. And everything that we’re seeing in the playoffs right now signals the the the red warning signs are depth, depth, depth. It’s not about having the best the best player in the series anymore. It’s all about do you have the like seventh, eighth, ninth best best player. And so you if you can add some uh depth and shooting and Norm Powell and some defense, you know, that’s that’s not a bad proposition, particularly when you’re adding someone like like Dylan Harper who comp in terms of his like scoring skill set complements Brandon Miller so perfectly and that he’s a three-level scorer that can get to the rim and then you’re not having to then divide the the pizza up into three between those three. You’re dividing it up essentially into two with Norm Pal being a a mercenary shooting asset for you. Well, the I think it’s about having both, right? And I know Joic talked about it’s all about the depth. It’s about having an first team allNBA player, second team allNBA player, a couple of other stars possibly behind him and then having the depth. So, but I I think you could easily convince me that there’s a better possibility of Dylan Harper doing that than LaMelo Ball with the injury history. Like if if I’m not having this being a future allNBA player. Like I’m kind of out on that. I’m out on that with LaMelo Ball. I think he could be a future all-star again, but I’m kind of out on the AllNBA discussion at this point. That’s fair. If your idea of depth alongside the future possible AllNBA possible, right, which it’s still very hard to do that. But if Dylan Harper does reach that, Norm Pal does not fit the Dylan Harper AllNBA timeline. So now you’re talking about Norm Pal and I don’t know what his contract looks like in terms of length. the idea that you would get depth from the Clippers to bring alongside and play alongside your rookie 18year-old 19year-old and then he’s going to reach all NBA and then Norm Pal at that point is like 33 now you’ve given up first round or now I guess you gave up LaMelo you do have a couple of first that you could use so for me it would be more about the first and I do think if you you do that you’re going to get it worse as a basketball team just flat out next year if you trade LaMelo Ball to get uh these first 19 wins. Yeah, because LaMelo was injured and we know that. Like I mean Well, but that’s the ris but that’s the risk with keeping him. That’s the risk keeping them. No. Fair. So has this turned into just a trade LaMelo combo? Cuz like now I think we’re having something separate like and I hear you on that. But 19 wins look their record when LaMelo’s on the court is a lot better than what it was without him. And I know it’s about the availability. So if you want to get rid of him just because you want to get rid of him, that’s a separate conversation. My point is if we’re talking about building depth around a guy that in Dylan Harper where your Norm Pal is the guy and your Derrick Jones Jr. I think are they both above 30 years old? I I you’re not talking about a playoff team now and then by the time Harper hits all NBA if he hits all NBA now those guys are what level basketball player? That would be my point. So, so really you just have to decide is Dylan Harper head and shoulders above an Ace Bailey, right? Or an Edgecom who one of them is going to be there for I think he is. And if you do think he is, then you know I would I would go over to your side of the thinking Walker. If you do think he is, if you think he’s got that potential to get there even quicker than these other guys or or at all versus a Bailey or an Edgecom, then you do roll the dice and you do what you have to do to stockpile another potential AllNBA guy on your team and see how it plays out. I mean, so but that’s a question they’re going to have to figure out, right? And they’re have to figure it out pretty quick and then get pretty aggressive and to do that. Not that it matters, but Dylan Harper on the Charlotte Hornets without LaMelo Ball and with Brandon Miller and some, you know, complimentary pieces from a team that would trade for LaMelo, whether it’s the Clippers or whatever, that Dylan Harper has a pretty damn good chance of winning rookie of the year over Cooper Flag, who is going to be playing probably a little bit more defense on Dallas. What? He’s gonna be He’s gonna be fighting for points with Anthony Davis. I mean, you know, I don’t I just don’t think Never hurt. So, he’ll play all year and um you know, I think I think Cooper’s going to get a lot of touches. We’ll see. We’ll see. Yeah. Yeah. I guess Dylan would too. But, you know, the the whole thing about you know, the roster, too, like the 19 wins. Yeah. The rest of the team has to stay healthy also. You know, you’d get rid of LaMelo, that would get rid of 1/8 of the pie chart in terms of how injured you are. And that’s the real conversation. You can’t just swap those out. Like, that can’t be the only plan. They got to keep building this thing in other directions. Certainly that would be the top, but like it can’t be it can’t be a one for one. Got to hit a lot. Got to hit on quite a bit, including number four or number two. They decide to trade up in this NBA draft. Coming up next on the Lockown Hornets podcast everywhere. We have another mock draft. We are God, what does that say? Are we close to the 40s? I’m I’m pretty sure. Is that 33? Did we move backwards? I can’t remember. Yeah, we’re we’re uh we’re going back to the future. I think I did some math wrong. I told you. I I I asked there not to be any math on this show and you demanded math and now uh we’re back to 33. I recounted and we’re at 30. Look, we’re we’re we’re moving back, baby. We’re we’re not moving forward. We’re moving backward on this podcast. Uh we continue that coming up next. Last segment. All right. Any finishing thoughts, mock draft stuff before we hit the the day 33? I can’t believe we have to move backwards. You were close to the 40s, man. But but instead, we’re going back to the front half of this thing. Uh any finishing thoughts before we go to mock uh the mock draft, David, what about you? I I just think this is the most interesting conversation we’ve had with the Hornets. I think I say that every year, but this one really is because you took this new ownership team who really took last year as what they call it a evaluation period, right? second or third inning, whatever you want to call it. And now they’ve seen it, you know, and now they’ve got the second half of this arena going in or or redo redoing. And so if they want to make a move, if they want to make a splash with whatever pieces are at their disposal, uh it seems like this would be the time to strike before it got too late. So, it’s just that’s going to be interesting to me to see what they do. We have just haven’t heard a whole lot. We saw him try and be willing to move Mark Williams, which is more than we’ve seen from other folks in the past. So, uh, it wouldn’t shock me if something like that happened. I think if these playoffs have taught us anything, it’s don’t be afraid to trade. I mean, Minnesota, New York, they made the big deal. That’s worked out for them. Indiana’s made plenty of trades. That’s worked out for them. OKC made some risky some risky moves as well. They’ve drafted well. I mean, they’re the one team that I could kind of hold out of that conversation, but they’ve also made some trades as well that worked out for them. Don’t be afraid to trade. and San Antonio. I don’t believe for a second they you can give me whatever Dylan or Phony Gavon whatever he wants to say about the San Antonio Spurs keeping that pick and wanting to take Dylan Harper. I don’t believe it for a second. They’ve got Tieran Fox and Stefan Castle on that team. It doesn’t make any damn sense. Uh trading for the Star that that would be in terms of what you’re talking about, Doug. Like do you think Yeah, that would be the interesting thing is are the Hornets willing to trade for the Star like all those teams did? Like that would be interesting. Who would you get rid of? Your Mavs, your Miami pick, your whatever pick and go get the star like Minnesota or New York with male and cat. Like that would be Yeah, man. There’s so many possibilities. Who knows? The the evaluation process the there’s so many possibilities. Well, there’s so many ways to do it. Like you don’t have to do it like Minnesota and New York did with a star swap. I mean that that just that that idea presented itself and it it seemed perfect at the time because both of those teams were getting rid of players that were not quite fitting the way it should be. And again, you have to find those situations where the opportunity presents itself. And I think with honestly with the LA Clippers, it it when I first heard it, I was like, “Wow, that’s ridiculous.” And then I thought about it and I looked at the players. I looked at the contracts. We should say that Norm’s contract expires. That’s $20 million off the books for the Hornets next in the following season if they wanted to retool after that. So, a lot a lot of it makes sense. Yeah. Um yeah, the the the Norm Powell contract. I saw it was 20 million bucks. So, yeah, even if you don’t want to use him for the depth for this team, you would free that up. All right, let’s get to a mock draft. What you got for us today, D? We’re going to ESPN. Jonathan Gavone and Jeremy Woo have updated their draft. In fact, they updated it this morning. This is as fresh as it gets, folks. Uh, Cooper Flag going number number one overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Number two, San Antonio takes Dylan Harper. And then number three, Philadelphia 76ers take Ace Bailey with the third pick. And then the fourth pick, Charlotte Hornets. The only guy that I can find mocked to the Charlotte Hornets at four. At this point, I cannot find an alternative take. It is VJ Edgecomb. And this is Woo writing, “Though dropping one slot was disappointing for the Hornets, they were the only team with top four lottery odds to remain there. The number four pick is still advantageous with the way the board falls as Charlotte will be operating knowing that at least Edgecom or Bailey will be available, both of whom would represent significant talent upgrades.” How would you feel about it, David? Yeah, I’m in. You know, I told you and and Wes on Friday, uh, I’m an Edgecom guy as it is right now. I just think he fits really well and has the potential to be a two-way player. Uh, and maybe in a way some of one of those other two guys uh don’t, but but for this team, he just fits well. He could play with LaMelo ball. He could fit in that back court. He’s super athletic as well. And you know, they’ve added athletes on this team, but they still need to bring in talent and young talent and and and and some explosiveness uh when they can. So, like if you’re sitting there and you do nothing and Edgecom’s there for you, you know, I wouldn’t be mad at it. that would be going against being a super aggressive trying to trade up, trade out, trade, trade back, whatever. But I’m I’m an edge guy because I think he’s a young guy that has some still some room to grow on both ends. Doug, where are you today? I know you said it would go back and forth. You’d flip-flop on Edgecomb, Trey Johnson. Are you still Trey Johnson more so than Edgecom right now? I think that the talent difference between the two is not so significant that I would argue that you shouldn’t consider fit. And I think that they’re close enough where Edgecomb makes perfect sense if you slot him in into the current Josh Green position. And I think you’re going to get someone that is probably slightly more aggressive offensively than Josh Green and can fill out and do a little bit more, even more defensively than Josh Green, but has that same motor and aggressiveness defensively, but with way more, I think, athleticism offensively and can do way more damage in transition at the rim. Uh, so yeah, I mean, you know, I think Edgecom makes too much sense. Even though I think Trey Johnson offensively uh profiles more of like if you’re rolling the dice on these two on one of these two becoming a future star player in this league, you know, I think Trey Johnson probably maps out more than this is going to be real chalky the whole way. VJ Edgecom is going to be there on all these mock drafts. We’re going to be talking a lot about VJ because Doug, as he just told you, he was looking through the mock drafts pre-show trying to find anything other than VJ just as a point of reference and we couldn’t find anything. I mean, it was I’m sure it’s out there, but not the ones that we looked through and and I was listening to Sam Vassini, I think on Friday or uh No, I was listening actually to his post uh lottery mock draft that he did. He he hit a uh YouTube live as soon as the lottery was done and he said, “We’ve been talking about this for the last two months. VJ Edgecom in a Hornets uniform makes way too much sense. But last thing on VJ it Yeah. Well, knock on wood just to get rid of the bad juju. It happened with Brandon Miller. Brandon Miller was mocked to the Hornets at four forever and then they moved up to two and Brandon moved with him. Yeah. Brandon Miller being that pick no doubt. So VJ Edgecomb he the fit is just it it makes too much sense there. One the last thing on VJ though the the reason they’ve been talking about VJ the last two months that excites me, right? because this isn’t someone that came in and is like rising up draft boards. I I that’s that’s a bad example. I know you’re the reason VJ had so much hype was because of what he did with Team USA and how awesome he was playing with really talented international basketball players where Cooper was darling number one and a lot of it was VJ at number two. I’m not saying that he was above Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, but he had such conversation around him. The discourse around him was, man, look at what he’s doing in international basketball play. The guy’s playing an awesome brand of basketball offensively even. It wasn’t even the way we’re talking about him now. He’s a perfect fit. He’s a great two-way player. No, they were just saying flat out, dude’s a stud, can go get his own bucket and is a high level athlete. And so, I like that kind of pedigree being attached to him before he gets to Baylor. And then Scott Drew maybe taking a little bit of the individual agency away from him in order to better fit the team because of what he is as a malleable backcourt basketball player. Like it makes sense to form him into that for the better of the team rather than some of the other players that can’t do it because they’re not explosive because they don’t dive for every single loose basketball, right? Like that that makes me happy in terms of the maybe there’s a lot of high-end upside with VJ Edgecomb. Oh, I I would I’m welcoming of that pick as well. I’d be really excited about it. That’ll do it for Locked On Hornets. Thanks for making us your first listen. We’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast. David Walker, he’s back. Hope to see more of them throughout the off season. David Balker on Twitter. David, was it everything that you had remembered and hoped it would be again? It was just like I remembered it, guys. Just we’re right back where we started and we can’t get away from it. Talking about a top five pick. See, this is where David excels talking top five picks that the Hornets are going to be selecting from. Doug Branson, every Hornetsboxcore.com, also locked on NBA, uh, hosting alongside Matt Moore and Hayes. And I’m Walker Mail, listen to me WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Have a great rest of your day. We’ll be back with you tomorrow.

LaMelo Ball to the Clippers? The crew reacts to Lonzo Ball’s bombshell prediction and breaks down what it would take to land Dylan Harper in Charlotte — and whether it’s finally time to move on. Plus, why VJ Edgecombe keeps showing up in every Hornets mock draft.

Is LaMelo Ball on the move? On this episode of Locked On Hornets, Doug, Walker, and returning guest David Walker dive into a wild scenario floated by Lonzo Ball — LaMelo to the Clippers and Dylan Harper to Charlotte. They unpack the Clippers’ potential trade assets, whether Harper and LaMelo are mutually exclusive, and why this rumor might actually make sense for both sides.

The panel debates whether Charlotte should make a bold move up to the No. 2 pick to grab Harper and what it might cost — including whether Harper is worth parting ways with LaMelo. Is this the right time for a reset, or are the Hornets better off building around Ball and Brandon Miller?

Meanwhile, the draft picture keeps shifting. VJ Edgecombe continues to be the overwhelming consensus at No. 4 in recent mocks, but could Tre Johnson or Ace Bailey still sneak into the conversation? Doug and Walker break down the fan reactions to recent YouTube thumbnails, the upside of Edgecombe’s international performance, and how he might fit into Charlotte’s future backcourt.

With the draft drawing closer and the front office possibly itching for a shake-up, now’s the time to start connecting the dots. Don’t miss the most important Hornets conversation of the offseason so far.

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