The Charlotte Hornets will enter the 2026 NBA Draft with two first-round selections, owning the final lottery pick at No. 14 and another choice at No. 18. They are one of six franchises holding multiple first-rounders this year.
President of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, now in his third offseason running Charlotte’s front office, has added eight rookies over the past two drafts: Tidjane Salaun (No. 6) and KJ Simpson (No. 42) in 2024, followed by Kon Knueppel (No. 4), Sion James (No. 33), Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34) and Phoenix’s pick Liam McNeeley (No. 29) in 2025. The McNeeley acquisition, completed in the Mark Williams trade, also delivered a 2029 first-rounder from the Suns; Charlotte will send a 2029 second-round selection to Phoenix as part of that agreement.
The Hornets currently have 12 guaranteed contracts for 2026-27. Combo guard Coby White is the club’s most prominent free agent, and Peterson has stated the organization intends to re-sign him. Bringing White back while keeping both first-rounders would give Charlotte the maximum 15 standard contracts when the regular season begins.
Peterson has not ruled out dealing either pick. Teams with multiple first-rounders often explore consolidating assets to move up, acquiring future draft capital or pursuing veteran upgrades. “I’m very excited about this draft. It’s, if not the deepest, one of the deepest that I’ve ever been a part of,” Peterson said in his end-of-season press conference in April. “Where we are from an asset standpoint is going to allow us to be flexible.”
Despite extending the NBA’s longest active playoff drought to 10 years, Charlotte finished the 2025-26 campaign on a 33-15 surge and believes its young core is positioned to improve. Two more first-round talents could join that group on draft night.
Mock drafts vary on who might be available in the mid-teens. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo projected Mexican forward Karim Lopez at No. 14 and German center Hannes Steinbach at No. 18 in a May forecast. Separately, Jake Fischer reported Friday that the Hornets are evaluating center upgrades and have Knicks veteran Mitchell Robinson on their radar.
The draft is scheduled for June 25, giving Charlotte several weeks to decide whether to select at Nos. 14 and 18 or package those picks in a trade.
Source: Hoops Rumors
