Hornets Mock NBA Draft 3.0: What will Charlotte do with two first-round picks?
Fittingly, the guy who walked across the stage at Barclays Center a year ago and donned a Charlotte Hornets’ cap is going to be the star of the show in a different fashion.
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With the two-day NBA Draft slated to tip off Tuesday night, the Hornets are hosting a watch party at The Casey in uptown, headlined by Kon Knueppel. He’ll be joined by Dell Curry, who’s probably still beaming from having his jersey retired in the Spectrum Center rafters in April.
The two will have plenty to discuss.
Stocked with a pair of first-round selections in what’s been deemed as a deep talent pool, the Hornets are on track to add to their youthful core of Knueppel, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Charlotte boasts its own lottery selection along with No. 18 from Phoenix courtesy of the Jusuf Nurkic trade to Charlotte in February 2025.
The Hornets don’t possess a second-round pick after sending their 2026 selection to the Miami Heat, resolving a dispute with the Terry Rozier trade given the FBI’s investigation into the alleged gambling incident that occurred during Rozier’s time with Charlotte.
So, without further ado let’s get to it. Here is the final version of our 2026 Hornets-themed mock draft.
Hannes Steinbach
▪ Position: PF/C
▪ Team: Washington
▪ Height/weight: 6-foot-10/248 pounds
▪ Wingspan: 7-foot-2 1/4
▪ Standing reach: 9-0
The reason: It’s no secret the Hornets have one item circled on their summer shopping list. The position coincides with something Jeff Peterson, Charlotte’s president of basketball operations, alluded to after the season when he suggested the Hornets could use a boost in physicality.
“(They) want a big man,” one league source told The Charlotte Observer on Monday.
Hannes Steinbach could fit that profile.
Steinbach led the nation with 22 double-doubles, placing him one shy of matching Jon Brockman’s single-season school record at Washington. A native of Würzburg, he settled in nicely in his one season with the Huskies. Steinbach paced Washington, averaging 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals in 30 appearances.
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He’s adept at screening, which would allow him to flourish in a two-man game with Hornets star guard Ball, can put the ball on the floor and also shoot. He sank 57.7% of his overall attempts and canned 34% from 3-point range.
Combine all that with the ability to be an effective rim protector and Steinbach would appear to be a solid fit. The biggest question may be will he still be around when the Hornets go on the clock.
Pick is traded
The reason: Counting the Hornets’ initial selection in the first round, they will begin the offseason with 13 players under contract on the roster. That doesn’t include veteran Pat Connaughton, whose contract has a club option that must be exercised by June 29.
Let’s say the Hornets don’t bring Connaughton back because they need the roster spot. They would still have two spots on the main roster to tinker with, but that number dwindles down to only one if they grabbed another rookie without the intent of including him in trade.
Which is why a league source suggested to The Observer that the Hornets could look to move the No. 18 pick for an asset that could help more in the immediate.
Factor in Tidjane Salaün being in his third season and the potential of second-year contributions from Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James and Liam McNeeley, and adding two rookies from this year’s class to a team that should be pushing for a 2026-27 playoff berth to end the NBA’s current longest postseason drought doesn’t coincide with that timeline.
Plus, saving some of those backend roster spots is usually a necessity to successfully maneuver through transactions later in the offseason and provide roster flexibility. It would be smart for the Hornets to go that route.
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