Hornets' Meeting with Caleb Wilson Could Signal Aggressive Draft Trade

The Charlotte Hornets are going to meet with a ton of draft prospects this offseason, most of whom will never play for the team. Most of the reason for that is due diligence, but another, smaller part is to learn about the players. The Hornets might be enticed to make a move for one of them.

But some prospects are almost pointless to meet with. Why would the Hornets bother spending time with AJ Dybantsa when he's going first overall (or second at absolute worst)? The same is true of Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer.

Truthfully, Caleb Wilson fits into that group as well. Those top four are head and shoulders above the rest of this deep draft class, and there's really no chance any of them last to the fifth overall pick unless there's a big surprise (or team needs change).

So why would the Hornets even bother meeting with Wilson? The Hornets pick 14th and 18th. I ran a mock draft simulation once that inexplicably had Wilson available at 14, but I reset it and started over on principle. That's never going to happen in a million years.

The Hornets know this as well, but they met with him anyway. It apparently went very well. Could the Hornets be considering a move? They have two picks in 2026 and three in 2027 to work with. There's a good chance they want to make a move to reduce that number since they already have a pretty full roster.

Let me be a delusional UNC fan here for a second. Wilson would be an excellent fit in this offense. He doesn't shoot the three well, but there's hope he can develop that because he's pretty solid from the midrange, and he'd have tons of open shots playing with Kon Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller.

He is insanely athletic and an incredible interior defender, meaning he'd pair so well with Moussa Diabaté down low and give Ball a great lob threat to work with. If the Hornets are going to try and move way up, he'd be the one to target for those reasons and because most view him as firmly fourth among the top four prospects.

The Hornets meeting with him likely means nothing, but it is curious. It would have been like the Carolina Panthers meeting with Arvell Reese or Fernando Mendoza. Those players were never going to come even close to their draft slot.

So if nothing else, it's curious, but it gives me a reason to consider Wilson in the teal and purple. The Hornets would have to pay up greatly, but they have the assets to do so. They can easily send both 14 and 18 to the Chicago Bulls and add whatever future picks they want.

If Charlotte's remotely considering doing something similar for Giannis Antetokounmpo, it would probably be much, much wiser to pivot to trying to move up and draft Wilson (or Cameron Boozer, for that matter).

Antetokounmpo is under contract for a hefty sum for two years. Wilson would be under contract for four very inexpensive years. Antetokounmpo has a ton of tread on his tires and a troubling injury history in the last few years. Wilson doesn't, and his UNC injuries were more freak accidents than issues to be concerned about in the future.

Of course, Antetokounmpo is a sure thing, but he's got some red flags and some downsides. Wilson fits the timeline better, as he'd give the Hornets a ninth key core player under the age of 25. That kind of youth is important when trying to build a sustainable roster for the future.

If the Hornets are gutting assets for a player, go after Wilson or someone in the top four of this draft, not Antetokounmpo.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow