Draft chatter: Should Hornets’ No. 12 pick be dealt for a vet or cap relief?

We’re inside two weeks until an NBA draft no one calls deep. You know what else that makes the 2019 draft? Unpredictable.

Expect lots of trades and lots of “eye of the beholder” picks, where teams decide the difference in talent is small enough that they lean toward fit in making the final call.

The Charlotte Hornets have three picks in the June 20 draft: No. 12 overall in the first round and Nos. 36 and 52 overall in the second round. I don’t have much feel yet for who will be available with the 12th pick, but here are some trends worth considering as we approach draft night:

Trade talk

The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks have reportedly agreed to a deal that can’t be completed until the new salary-cap year begins in July. In effect, the Nets will send two first-round picks to Atlanta in return for the Hawks absorbing Allen Crabbe’s $18.5 million salary for next season.

That facilitates an aggressive free-agency strategy for the Nets and doesn’t hamper the Hawks, a rebuilding team with abundant cap room. A great exchange for two teams in different phases of development.

I suspect there will be numerous trades attached to this draft, particularly in the second half of the first round, where some teams might want to avoid the two-year, guaranteed contracts. I wonder how the Hornets might get involved.

Could the Hornets get another team to absorb a problematic contract to acquire the No. 12 pick? I’m sure general manager Mitch Kupchak is asking around, with $98 million already guaranteed for next season before they look to re-sign Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb.

I also wonder if Kupchak might look to get an extra pick in the first round. Rookie-scale contracts are relatively cheap, but only if there is someone who lasts into the 20s who Kupchak really likes.

Will need matter?

I get asked a lot how much or little the Hornets’ needs will factor in their draft decisions. Good question, considering the Hornets have said they need better rim protection and they have brought in a lot of defensive big men for workouts.

I think need will matter, whether or not it carries a final decision. It won’t surprise me if they seriously consider a player like Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke for his shot-blocking and defensive mobility.

However, remember that the Hornets drafted Malik Monk over Donovan Mitchell in 2017 on the logic they needed to surround recently acquired center Dwight Howard with shooting. Howard is gone and Monk has struggled. Meanwhile, Mitchell has become a star with the Utah Jazz. So “need” isn’t always such a great path in draft strategy.

The Kemba question

Will the consequence of Walker’s free agency decide what the Hornets do with the No. 12 pick? I’d say it should only if it’s a trade for a veteran who can help immediately.

The Hornets have a trade exception of about $7.8 million from dealing Howard to the Nets. It expires in early July. That would allow them to exchange a draft pick for a player making up to that much next season. I can see the merit of such a trade to enhance the roster around Walker.

However, I wouldn’t see who the Hornets pick as much inducement to Walker to stay. In fact, I’d see more merit in drafting a point guard as insurance against his departure (although I question if there’s a point guard who makes sense at No. 12).

Two second-rounders

Kupchak appears to place more value in second-round picks than his predecessor, Rich Cho. However, I question the likelihood that three rookies will be signed onto this roster for next season, particularly if Walker returns.

That 52nd pick — eight spots from the end of the draft — sure sounds like a draft-and-stash the same way Kupchak selected Lithuanian Arnoldas Kulboka 55th a year ago with the intent of him continuing to develop while playing in Europe. That meant Kulboka was a developmental player, with the Hornets retaining his NBA rights, without him counting against Charlotte’s roster limit or salary cap.

Picks in the 50s are flyers; if one out of three ends up a contributor to an NBA team eventually, it’s good use of the draft.

This story was originally published June 7, 2019 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Draft chatter: Should Hornets’ No. 12 pick be dealt for a vet or cap relief?."