We’re On the Clock! The Charlotte Hornets’ Ultimate Mock Draft Dilemma
it’s that time of year again it’s the locked on Ultimate mock draft we’re on the clock folks we got to figure out what we’re doing with the number six overall pick we’ll do that on today’s episode plus we’ll discuss this I don’t know what’s your definition of a few it’s not to but okay you are locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day in a minute CU we live it’s locked on hornets part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your pods and that includes YouTube today’s episode is brought to you by prize picks the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports go to prize.com lockon NBA use code all lowercase locked on NBA for a first deposit match up to $100 Doug is on the phone he’s working the GMS right now trying to figure out what the Hornets are going to do at number six not in the real NBA draft folks no not the real one the ultimate mock draft a part of the lockon podcast Network we were told by our fearless leader maybe the assistant to the fearless leader Nick angat the host of The Mavericks pod that we were on the clock when we were conducting the third segment of the last episode so we thought yeah baby we’re about to make this some content let’s bring it to the people we are the Pod of the people so we have a lot of options we’re discussing what are people saying on that phone line Doug I mean I’m talking well I’m talking to the Miami Heat right now I’m talking to the Brooklyn Nets people want this sixth round pick I’ve got calls everywhere right now and and we are we are negotiating literally as literally as we record this episode but let me update everyone on the situation around this six pick because we’ve got an actual mock draft occurring right now and the Atlanta Hawks have taken Alex SAR number one over all the Washington Wizards have taken uh locked on Wizards have taken Donovan kingan at number two the wrench has already been thrown uh Houston did not trade the third overall pick they took the player that we talked about last episode that the Hornets would like to trade up for they took Reed Shepard third overall locked on Spurs I mean everyone’s thinking Spurs want a guard but the Spurs locked on Spurs could not pass up the opportunity to take the falling star here they get Zachary rashay and then Detroit does what everyone thinks Detroit is going to do which is take Matas bua so that leaves the hornage with a lot of options here Stefan Castle I think would be an obvious pick uh they you know Dalton connect is still on the board Devin Carter is still on on the board Ron Holland is still on the board uh but a lot of people want this pick right now I’m telling right so here’s here’s what I say we do because we really did just press record button with all these options without really breaking down or organizing how we were going to construct this show maybe we construct it as who the right player to pick is if we were to make this sixth overall selection I’m gonna put everybody I’m gonna tell everyone locked on Nets locked on heat you’re on hold right now we are talking about who we are actually going to take here so so would talk about who we’ take next segment we could go with some of the trade scenarios at hand and then last segment we could make the final decision and figure it out on what we’re actually going to do in this ultimate mock draft can I clarify one thing so typically the network would be doing an ultimate mock draft show where we put all of these together in in a in a Big Show not doing that this year but you are basically getting the Hornets version right now we’re providing you you you really are I’m not even kidding this is real time that we got the Tex everyone’s waiting on us we are Kevin from the office everyone’s looking at me yeah you know the Minnesota Vikings had to uh forfeit their pick one time because they didn’t make their selection on time luckily that’s not going to happen like they’re all waiting for us we do not forfeit our selection so we’re going to try to figure it out okay guys that we would realistically pick here you mention Stefan Castle you also have Dalton connect somebody people are a fan of Devin Carter Providence guard defensive-minded guy also on the board Ron Holland we used to like him Doug it it was only L people used to like him something happened there’s been a little bit of reporting some guys from those ceilings reported that there might be a little something happening behind the scenes there that’s that’s uh keeping Ron Holland stock down Nico a toic like an interesting name to throw in here I haven’t talked a lot about him but he had the ACL news he’s been injured and so I think that’s probably pushing him towards the bottom he’s falling how much would he be in consideration we weren’t even really speaking about him as all that much of a realistic option so maybe topic is somebody that we should talk a little more about jacobe Walter like has been picking up steam a little bit Cody Williams also on the board so if I haven’t mentioned anybody else feel free to correct me but I think those are the guys that we would consider um I’ll give my pitch for Stefan Castle I ranked the guys told you about Walker M’s Big Board that you can’t find anywhere but locked on Hornet so you’re listening to exclusive big board material here folks Reed Shepard is number one Stefan Castle’s number two like you and I have already gone over the strengths the defensive toughness point of attack team defense I think that the shooting form isn’t completely broken it’s not fantastic but I don’t think it’s like a broken shot good cutter secondary ball handling ability maybe off of the bench running I don’t know about point but like enough there with his handles yeah Stefan Castle would be my choice here if we were um supposed to make the pick so if you’ve been listening along to our draft coverage you know that Stefan Castle was ritten off of my big board and I also said that what because he didn’t want to play here that’s right said he he wanted to play point guard didn’t want to play point guard for a team that already had a point guard so he was off my big board I also said that once you’re off my big board you don’t get back on my big board you did you said that well that was until he decided to work out for charlot yes okay welcome back then everything changes you know all he had to do is come here and work out for Charlotte uh so he’s back on my big board and I would say you know with this with this scenario here he’s on he’s he’s the best player available I don’t think there’s any question about that and yes there are I think there are concerns about his shooting potential I think some of those are overblown uh NADA has been on here and told us that some of those are overblown and he just at at 66 he’s going to immediately size up uh you I mean you could I think you could play him at three I think he can guard two he can guard three you could I think he sizes up the wing if he’s willing uh to not be a primary ball handler if he’s willing to shift his role and honestly perfect scenario for him coming to a team with lamelo ball who has not been you know exactly a player that can stay on the floor so he might get some opportunities to do that anyway um you know I think it would be a perfect fit for him a perfect fit for the Hornets he he would absolutely be my pick here if if we make the pick um just I wanted to bring up just maybe rapid fire Prospect questions for you how close was it for you between castle and connect not close at all connect is always for me bit and I’ve talked up connect on this show but he’s always been plan C for me like it’s plan C if Shephard and Castle are off the board and I and I don’t think I like kinging but I don’t think the Hornets are going to take kingan so and he’s not here just for the mo he’s gone two overall so there and there’s a scenario where the Hornets are looking at Castle Shephard and you know had had ree continued to fall and that very much could be a possibility and the Spurs had taken Castle then the Hornets would looking at a situation where it would be like connect or Holland or whatever so I mean I I really like connect but he’s always been a plan C for me um last one topic I don’t know like for me topic is really interesting because the Dude lives in the paint and he gets there pretty easily and that’s enticing as hell the shots weird like it comes from in the middle of his chest and he was only a 30% shooter so the shot is real dicey but he’s really crafty finisher that would compliment lamel as far as an offensive player in the back court alongside Brandon and it feels like the only reason he’s falling is because of injury history but that’s still a concern that’s a legitimate enough reason for him to fall I think there’s enough to consider with topic and then eventually still just go ahead and settle with Stefan Castle yeah it’s tough right because it’s I think it’s less about like oh the ACL te is that going to damage him long term and more about the fact that they did we a lot of teams didn’t get to see him compete you know if this had been a college player I think it would have been a lot different I think you know we’d still be If This Were castle and Castle torn his ACL or hurt himself in the tournament I think we’d still be talking about castle as a possibility at six with topic I think it’s a lot different now I think some team is going to take him at like 10 to 13 and you know he could be Luka donic level player you just never you never know but I think for the Hornets I don’t think they’re going to take that risk um you I think they would much rather have a player that could contribute in some way for this team next season and Castle you know I I think for for what the Hornets are I think Castle can have the biggest impact immediately even more so than Shepard I think Shepard has the potential to develop into a player that is more impactful than than Castle but if you’re just talking about next season I think next season Castle has the potential to impact this team the greatest because of how good he can be defensively and because he sizes up a position that they need to size up love me some Devin Carter not going to take him over Castle trade back option I would heavily consider Devin Carter um but yeah even though I love him Castle’s the guy if we’re to make the pick but if we don’t we’ll talk about that coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet Doug’s not kidding when he said there were plenty of podcast contacting us to see if they can move up to that sixth overall spot and a certain Prospect very interesting players on the board for us we could trade for some pretty valuable guys with like $20 million a year contracts that are worth that contract stick around find out who those players are coming up [Music] next this episode is brought to you by prize pick prize pick is America’s number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active members and prize picks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports unlike other apps on prize picks it’s just you against the numbers all you do is pick more or less on two to six player stat projections then you can watch the winnings roll on in baby get in on the daily action with your friends and become part of the prize picks Community today and if you’re looking for some promotions prize picks as you covered every single week from lowering select player stats projections on Tuesdays to help your lineup hit or getting your entry fee back if you have a losing lineup on Fridays plenty of promotions that are happening every single week on prize picks download the prize picks app today use code locked on NBA for a first deposit match up to $100 that’s code locked on NBA on prize picks for a deposit match up to $100 pick more pick less it’s that easy more lock on Hornets ahead Doug I would call this the most exciting uh trade situation we’ve ever been given the players that could be given up to us not only just because we have an enticing trade offer from one team but multiple teams are willing to deal some recognizable names to us so let’s go over some of the scenarios here in front of us you’ve been working the phones you are the GM in this situation what kind of Trades do we have offered listen news is breaking all over the place right now in the fake NBA and the locked on NBA ultimate mock draft it’s also breaking in the actual NBA I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to Twitter Walker as we record this show on Thursday for Friday we’ve got some actual trade news as Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls being traded according to W to the Oklahoma City Thunder for giddy so we’ve got a Caruso for giddy trade things are getting started if you don’t think the Hornets could make something happen before the draft I’ve got news for you and that news is a woe bomb has already happened so the phone lines are flaring in the actual NBA they are flaring in this fake NBA where I’ve texted Adam arre from the lock on Nets podcast well let me tell you about the other deal that we’ve already rejected and that’s the the locked on heat podcast when I said anyone wants six they said what do you think about hero and Walker said no I’m out no I I don’t like he’s a good shooter I would love shooting I can’t help but think about the defensive liability that he could be plus he’s going to be making $3 million in just a couple of Seasons it’s on an ascending contract I know with inflation that I might actually be okay that’s still just too much money for somebody that when he got back from injury in the finals last year Doug they weren’t exactly sure if they wanted to play him now maybe that’s too harsh on Tyler hero and he was very quick and I’ll say Wes Goldberg was very quick to trade you gota you can’t if you put anyone wants six and the first uh text comes out you want hero that should be a red flag a a heat red flag it’s it’s actually the best point like forget all the numbers I just threw out yeah it’s I don’t I’m not I’m not with it like I don’t think he he’s a great shooter and that helps that has a real spot on somebody’s roster at 30 million I’ll put it this way if you’re making 30 million a year I want to have a no doubt opinion that I am playing you if the as deep as we go into the postseason like you’re on the floor and I’m just not doubting that so for me no thank you to a $30 million a year Tyler hero well listen when we’ve been talking about taking Devin Carter or taking uh Stefan castle one of my points is it would be nice if the Hornets for once in their life drafted a player with the potential to hang a defensive player of the year award on their belt there’s no one on this roster right now there’s some players that can play defense but there’s no one on this roster right now that is even a remote threat of being a defensive player of the year and so how can you justify bringing a player in Tyler hero to this roster that makes no sense for you defensively so I I totally agree with you now the Nets on the other hand did not propose a player they just want to get into this draft they have no first round pick so this would not be a tradeback scenario this would be a trade uh well there’s there’s two options here I think there’s a get the guy that you and I have talked about a lot that does have I think a chance at at getting a defensive player of the year award uh maybe not not a great chance but a chance but as an amazing two-way player a durable player a potential All-Star player and that’s Mel Bridges y so that’s a that’s a War’s giving up multi first round picks and I’ll tell you Adam has already said because I first thing I texted Adam I said male off the table because for the Nets it seems like Mel’s off the table but that might be smoking mirrors but in the fake NBA he said it would have to be a sizable package a few first and a young Talent okay so those are I haven’t made an offer yet I want to make sure I’m I’m clear with you I don’t want to overstep I’ve overstepped before in these mock drafts and it’s gotten us in trouble we’re going to talk later in the show about our history with these mock drafts sometimes my overstepping gets us in trouble yeah that’s okay so I want to be careful here but that is that is a range that the Hornets can hit because of the trade deadline they acquired in the Terry rer to Miami deal they have a first and in the PJ Washington to Dallas trade they’ve got a first um so that’s a possibility or if the Hornets did want to be in or if we wanted to be an asset acquisition mode we could look at one of the Net’s future first round picks the problem Walker is that the Nets don’t have any of their own future first round picks uh thanks in part to the you know Kyrie Kevin Durant uh James Harden you know bleep Fest so they don’t but thanks to moving those players to Phoenix they’ve got a couple of Phoenix first round picks they’ve also got a Philly first round pick so um but those are going to be late first rounders so those are kind of your options on the table what do you think okay male cam both guys fit cam who cam cam new cam Johnson sorry cam Johnson okay Cam Johnson okay you were you we’re going with male Bridges I’ll bring cam Johnson into the fold if they’re going to eventually be out on male bridges in fake NBA World cam Johnson is another nice pivot point where you’re not asking for all the first rounders as much as you would with MCA so both of those guys fit like a perfect puzzle piece with this squad defensive prowess M much more than cam but cam not a minus Defender cam Johnson good knockdown shooting cam has been shooting you know what is he 40% on his career it’s something close to it almost like 39 I think yeah so knockdown Plus in the last episode when we were talking about drafting some of these other Shooters and we’ve talked about it before like they’re tiny if you can shoot well then you’re tiny in this draft not the case with male not the case with Cam Johnson who sits like 68 69 in shoes he’s a tall shooter and now you’re talking about a monster lineup Doug if Cam joh is inserted into the starting lineup Grant Williams would become your smallest player or your shortest not smallest but your shortest player at like 67 68 and he’s playing the power forward spot buddy lots of length all over the place with the idea that Mark Williams is healthy yeah man I think the Nets it’s absolutely worth exploring a trade for them if we try to figure out what to do with male okay so you give them number uh number six in this year’s draft then I do think that you’re probably talking about trading the Mavs and the heat pick the two picks that you acquired anyway I wonder if like does it matter think it’s gonna take three first to get Cam Johnson no no no I’m sorry I’m saying M sorry M okay m m I was like what are you oh no no I’m talking M so if you go male sorry if I said cam first if you say m was listening then does it matter what first you’re giving up like would you rather get rid of yours or the teams or like Dallas’s and Miami because they are so far out but like you know the Hornets have not exactly had the best history so it feels like you would want to keep on to yours but if you’re trading for Michel the idea is that that you’re going to be better hopefully so yeah I don’t know does it matter to you what first round picks you’re getting rid of um well do we start with two do we see if we can get him to go too and and then the the salary so male makes around I have this actually 24 million it’s a great contract $24 million a year so that’s Davis peron’s at 17 plus he wants a young player I mean we can’t do sign and trade with Bridges with like do a bridges for Bridges because we we would be we we can make up whatever number we want we just don’t know what that number is going to be right so we can’t do that so if we’re talking young player I think it’s got to be Trey man I think that’s the best we can do young playerwise I mean they could counter with Mark and then we could say no right that’s exactly how that would go they would counter with Mark and then we would say no here’s here’s how I actually think we negotiate this is we say um a the sixth pick this year because I think I think they really want to play in this draft sure so we say six pick this year and then the Miami pick and Trey man and Davis pans and they say no to that if they counter with Mark Williams we throw in the Mavs pick and see if we can just go three and those two players and and go get male and now you’re talking lamelo you’re talking Brandon you’re talking male you’re talking Grant Williams you’re talking uh Mark Williams I mean I I think that gets you to the postseason I really do if you stay healthy that gets you to the postseason it’s not gonna get you 50 wins but it get you 45 so yeah the 2027 Miami first round pick protected one through 14 and then I believe the protection is lifted off of that in the second year if I’m not mistaken they’re tasty picks that’s why I think we can get away with two if I think we can get away with two so well and then you well two on top of the sixth right because you’d be trading three including the sixth overall selection so it would be three it would be the sixth overall pick and then it would be Mavs and he un unless you’re just saying if they if they count though so what I’m saying we start with two we because he in his in his text he said a few first okay I don’t know what your definition of a few it’s not two but okay see you got to listen I don’t know if you know how to negotiate but you can’t you can’t just throw everything you got to have some room to go back and forth so I say we go two we go tray man we go Davis bons that’ll that should I have to run it through the trade machine and make sure that that salary works that should work and then if they counter if he counters with Mark then we go three picks if he counters with the third pick or if he counters with like a future first of the Hornets then we counter with that mafs pick okay it’s not bad okay so you want to go after M or the other question is before I move on do we give up all that for M or do we just make it real simple and say Here’s six overall we want cam Johnson here’s six salary filler we want Cam and I don’t know like is there anything else there attaching to that I like that as a I like that as a plan C see I I think you and I are really we’re kind of well we see what the cam Johnson deal ends up being and if it’s something we like then I might make him propose the cam if the if the talks for Mel Bridges fall apart I might make him propose us something for cam Johnson see if he wants to throw something on the table and we can say yes or no to that and then if that all falls apart then we just pick Castle because I like the idea of Cam Johnson because then you’re right you’re are sizing up you’re replacing miles Bridges with somebody that can actually shoot um and so that helps you with this idea of not being able to go five out with Mark Williams at least not initially so we’ve got some I think we’ve got a lot of room to maneuver here and I’ll just say this I’m gonna put these I’m gonna put some text in okay with your permission Walker I’m gonna get this Mel package together and uh you’re gonna have to wait till Monday to find out what happens okay you got you have my permission you put those texts in and then maybe they get back to you and then we can really start to dwindle this thing down coming up next on the lock on hornet podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet I am titillated you are AB yes you are you are absolutely titillated we’ll try to weigh the options of trying to make a deal work with Brooklyn or taking the player at number six what’s the better option we’ll discuss it coming up [Music] next before we make the pick or at least try to figure out what we’re going to do with that selection this episode is brought to you by LinkedIn LinkedIn jobs whether you’re are hiring for your small business or you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role that’s why you have to check out LinkedIn jobs LinkedIn jobs has the tools to help you find the right Professionals for your team faster and for free LinkedIn isn’t just another job board LinkedIn has a vast network of more than a billion professionals which makes it the best place to hire it gives you access to professionals you can’t find anywhere else and Linkedin does all of that while making the process easy and intuitive hiring is easy when you have that many quality candidates so easy in fact that 86% of small businesses get a qualified candidate within 24 hours post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NBA that’s linkedin.com lockon NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply more lockdown Hornets [Music] ahead dou I know you sent out some of the proposals I know it’s kind of real time here so have you gotten anything back and what are some of the updates that you can tell us I haven’t got anything back yet he has seen it Adam arre from the locked on Nets podcast has seen our offer now I did have to change the offer slightly because I ran it through the trade machine and we were $1.5 million short of what we needed to be to make the money match so I offered JT Thor the more Thor movement was sacrificed in this deal it hurts my heart I’m sorry but if it makes the deal work makes the deal work now it does present an interesting op option though if we’re talking about you know dealing and counter offers that are going to happen here because you know I offered Trey man because he wanted a a young talent and I think Trey man is that the Hornets also have another young talent that they haven’t fully utilized yet and that’s their first their late first round pick that they made last season in Nick Smith Jr who’s due $25 million and so there’s you know I don’t know how you feel about that but there’s some counter uh you know counter proposal opportunity to make the to sweeten this deal with a little nsj if you’re going after male Bridges to me Nick Smith Jr can’t be the reason the trade doesn’t get done I’m okay with including Nick Smith Jr if you are trying to hold on to every little asset that you can which is smart business Doug nice job negotiating but if it ultimately came down to nsj or male Bridges then I’m I’m okay like you win you strong armed me you can have Nick Smith Jr my only concern is that I may have low balled a little too much I may have think cuz I mean there’s some names I well here’s what I did I tried to give him some context I was like hey this Davis paton’s deal is restructured it’s wable um and I said you know JT Thor is just to make the money work and and I gave him all the pick protections on the Miami I’m trying to give him as much information as I almost sent him an episode of the podcast where we uh where we talked about TR then figure it out yourself just just just watch it listen to it we’re doing whatever we can folks yeah I’m worried that he’s just going to come back so disgusted with d bratans and JT Thor being in a involved in a trade fory because he has to take this back to his podcast right I mean he you know he’s got to be able to defend the deal like we’ve defended deals in the past uh when we’ve done deals in this mock draft and we’ve done our fair share of deals in these mock drafts what do you think the perception would be if the Hornets traded a couple of first round picks for male Bridges and the Hornets haven’t even gotten out of the playin yet they won 20 games like I think this move would be kind of ridiculed for Charlotte because they should be quote unquote in asset collection mode they should try to build towards the future a lot more so and here they are trading for a win now player and getting rid of some of those first round picks essentially if you think about it you’d be trading with some of the indirect ways to maneuver here Terry roier PJ Washington Stefan castle for male bridges yeah I I think that Mel Bridges is the exact kind of player that you spend this kind of capital on in fact I I don’t think they’re going to have the opportunity because the Nets also feel that way they want to see if they can make Mel Bridges work but we don’t know about locked on Nets so I but I think this because he he fits so perfectly with what the Hornets need they need durability they need defense on the wing he’s going to make lamelo if you’re building around lamelo and you’re building around Brandon there’s no better player to bring in the male who is not going to need to be the star of your team he’s actually going to complement perfectly and his contract lines up with that it’s not like he’s making 30 plus million dollars a year his contract lines up perfectly with a third auxiliary piece to two star players in Brandon Miller and lamelo ball you know it I think it gets them to a lower tier postseason birth next season but then the potential for this team to build around that and get into the actual postseason and be a threat to win a series increases dramatically I think I would buy into that idea if it were like almost any other player I’m trying to think of an example of bringing in I mean you know Paul George is is unrealistic but if there were another like like going after James Harden or something like to me that wouldn’t make any sense if you’re talking about a player on the back end of their career uh that used to be an Allstar what about Deon Murray what about like a dejonte Murray you help out defensively in the back court but whenn now you give up assets despite two-point guards not working out in Atlanta maybe it’s different in lamelo like to me is that the example you’re thinking of okay great examp great another great example I think there that that’s sort of James Harden Murray would be the two ends of the spectrum that you didn’t want to hit to me male Bridges is like right in the middle and like a perfect thing that they could add uh to you know perfect skill set that they could add to this roster to make it sustainably win now well what’s interesting about contracts is we view them as do you get the bang for your buck based on how good you are as an NBA player you’re also not only is the contract just a really good contract you’re also paying the price via assets if you’re trying to trade for male for malleability and that’s what you’re doing with M because the fit has to work but the thing about m is it’s not unique M’s fit here to Charlotte everybody could use male Bridges every single team in the NBA could use male Bridges because he’s a good three-point shooter he’s a great defender he might be at the Pinnacle talking about three and D so much that he’ll be a fringe Allstar the number the efficiency actually went down as he became a lead ball handler but I expect that to go right back up to to where it was when he was in Phoenix because you have ball handlers in Brandon Miller and lamelo ball so yeah that that probably does call for three first round picks and then apparently reports are that the Nets have turned down that kind of package even more so before they value the malleability they value the type of player that he is I think that what Mel Bridges would do in this acquisition in a fake acquisition or a real acquisition it would um for that subset of the fan base that really wants to keep miles Bridges it would blunt some of that impact of allowing him to go and make 25 or $28 million for Detroit um because you’re you’re adding so much back with this kind of package uh but look to a certain extent I understand folks that are saying hey this team has proven nothing they’re still developing lamelo ball a lot of questions about his and Brandon Miller a lot of questions about lamelo’s durability about how you know C can he lead this team in a postseason there’s so many questions around this team so yeah it it would be a big risk and a longer term contract that you’re dealing with um but you know I I think look you can you can you got to make the risk itself you’ve got to take the risk at some point and so it’s it’s all a matter of how aggressive does this new front office and new ownership group want to be do they want to sit back and see what they have in lamelo ball and see what they have in Brandon Miller and see what they have in some of these trade pieces that they made or do they want to strike while the Iron’s hot I want to strike I want to do something I’m impatient I’m tired of watching playoff basketball I’m tired of this team not winning playoff series uh I remember what that was like as a kid I want to feel that again and if locked on Nets if they’ll let me feel that again I will feel it you want to uh want to know what else is enticing about male why won’t he reply reply I see the little eyeball I know he’s seen it reply male hasn’t played anything less than 72 games in any of the seasons yeah I know I know it’s so good um all right final thing let’s let’s go ahead and maybe rapid fire Stefan Castle or trying our best to make this male Bridges thing work Doug like what do you ultimately what would you rather do did you get a reply well I would rather male I mean we’ve already made the I mean he could say yes to this right now and then Deal’s done I can’t I can’t no there no takeback can say take back I ah no I’m playing uh listen there is a code there is a locked on podcast code and you don’t you don’t want to violate the code uh no listen the deal is out there and so if the deal is accepted then the deal is accepted and we have to accept that um but if it’s not you know I think if this deal if the counter offer comes in and it’s just absurd and I don’t think that there’s any room you know we could go we could try to Pivot to cam or you and I could just put our heads together and say forg cam let’s just take Stefan castle that would make a lot I think people listen listening to this right now I think there’s a loud group that are saying what are you guys doing just take castle like what you’re trying to male and you’re giving up a bunch of pieces knocking out the chemistry like a lot of people love Trey man so uh yeah I think you know we could pivot and just say forget it deals off we’re going Stefan Castle you have to wait until Monday to find out also find out the history of the lot we’ve been doing this I’m not kidding 2017 this goes all the way back to 2017 we have been picking in the ultimate mock draft and in fact in the very first one of these we made a massive tradeback deal yes you did so and that was David and I that was before Walker came on the podcast so on Monday we should go down memory lane I’m glad we didn’t do it in this episode because I think it would influence negatively what people think about the what we’re doing now um but we should walk down memory lane in the next episode that’s what we’ll do then we’ll see I’m excited baby I’m titilated myself it’s lock on Hornets thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your pods make sure you check us out on YouTube and subscribe it’s been a while since I’ve said that just subscribe what are you doing uh check out uh Doug’s substack as well every Hornets boox score.com listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 3: p.m. have a great weekend we’ll be back with you on Monday to reveal our decision we going to be back with something titilated no [Music]
The Locked On Ultimate Mock Draft is here, and the Charlotte Hornets are on the clock with the sixth overall pick. Join us as we navigate the high-stakes decisions surrounding this crucial selection. Should the Hornets make the pick or explore trade options? We break it all down in this episode.
– Introduction to the Locked On Ultimate Mock Draft.
– Doug is on the phone, negotiating with other GMs in real-time.
– Recap of the current mock draft picks and the options available for the Hornets.
– Discussing top prospects: Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, Devin Carter, Ron Holland, and Nikola Topic.
– Doug shares the trade offers received, including the Miami Heat’s proposal of Tyler Herro.
– In-depth discussion on why Tyler Herro might not be the best fit for the Hornets.
– Exploring the Brooklyn Nets’ interest in trading for the sixth pick.
– Potential trade packages for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
– Weighing the pros and cons of trading for Mikal Bridges: durability, defensive prowess, and fit with the team.
– Final deliberations on whether to make the pick or finalize a trade.
– The importance of making a move that ensures long-term success and immediate impact.
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22 Comments
I think Castle, Dalton, or Walter should be the pick and in that order. Dalton could be the secondary 3-level scorer we're looking for. Dude almost put up 40 (37 or better) on UNC, Auburn, Florida, and Purdue, did put up 40 on Kentucky. What are we talking about here?
Castle, Matas, and Knecht should be the 3 guys we’re picking from
Hey Walker and Doug, I think Jaylon Tyson, 6'7 3pt Shooter/Scorer, & Rebounder is better than Castle. He also defends ok and literally carried Cal😎☝🏾
On the Mikal trade, you can keep Miles still even after getting Mikal I’m pretty sure. So the starting lineup would be LaMelo, Brandon, Mikal, Miles, Mark.
Knecht is our man. I just don't feel like Castle wants to play with the Hornets.
Devin Carter! He’s a dawg 🐶🐶🐶
Sign Patrick Williams and trade up to 3 if Clingan goes #1 overall and pick Zaccharie if he is available or starr as a back up for Williams. Last option sign Patrick Williams and trade the 6th for Mikal or Cam Johnson
Miss the Ultimate Mock episode 😢
Please no Nets trade they are doing just as bad as us
Sign Miles regardless.
What about Miles, the 6th pick this year & two of the three picks in 2027 for Mikal?
Mikal is good player but he isn't worth 3 1st rd picks
Nice show guys! You should rehearse less often 😂.
I don't know why I'm super excited for this" down draft", but there's just so many ways it could go just excited to see how it all shakes out this year.
Go Hornets! And yes get bridges for 3 1st mann and some junk or cam for one first and whatever or just pick Castle.
I want to hear abt past trade yall have done. Yall teased us with but didn’t get it😊
Lonzo ball
Thumbnail (left to right): No, No, Maybe.
Yeah our good ole aussie mate traded from okc to the bulls to me is a downgrade
Reed Shepherd please
Drew eubanks as a pf or center back up is a free agency
mikal starts with M so i'm on board. Melo Miller Mikal Mark.
Banger ep! Also, don't resign Miles, 25M would be so much
Castle….Castle…..Castle.
PHONE IT IN!!!
These guys have the worst ideas. You don’t need ANYBODY off the Nets. Go try to get either Vince Williams Jr or Aldama from the Grizzlies, or just sign Patrick Williams. Stupid for trading Tre Mann.