Charlotte

Hornets

After three seasons in Utah, Sexton is on the move, with the Jazz sending him and a future draft pick to Charlotte. The scoring guard appeared in 63 games last season, averaging 18.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.7 three-pointers in 27.9 minutes. Primarily a points and assists option, Sexton finished the season ranked outside the top 150 in nine-cat formats. With Utah’s point guard situation including Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier and first-round pick Walter Clayton Jr., Sexton being moved is unsurprising. His fantasy value in Charlotte may be limited, but there could be opportunities to provide value due to LaMelo Ball’s injury history.

Kalkbrenner spent five years at Creighton, and he’ll turn 24 this year, making him one of the oldest prospects in this year’s draft. At 7’1, 257 pounds, he’ll have few peers his size at the next level, giving him a physical advantage out of the gate. In his final season with the Blue Jays, he posted 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game. Kalkbrenner’s 66/73/32 splits over his final four collegiate seasons were impressive for a player of his size, and he has the skills to develop into a strong offensive option in the NBA. Charlotte traded away Mark Williams on Wednesday, so Kalkbrenner will compete with Moussa Diabate and Jusuf Nurkic for the starting center spot for the Hornets. He could be in for a big rookie year.

James spent the first four years of his collegiate career with Tulane before transferring to Duke for his fifth and final season. The 6'5, 218-pound combo guard averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists with the Blue Devils last season, knocking down 41.3 percent of his three-point tries. James has the size needed to guard multiple positions, and he’s got a high basketball IQ, making him a threat on both ends of the court. Known more for his scoring ability at Tulane, James took on more of a facilitator role at Duke while also being the Blue Devils’ best on-ball defender. In Charlotte, he’ll look to earn an opportunity with a franchise that has been stuck in rebuilding mode for a while.

Micic was dealt to Phoenix in February as part of the deal that sent Jusuf Nurkic to Charlotte. Micic played solidly when given meaningful minutes for the Hornets, and he’ll return after just a few months in the desert.

Knueppel is arguably the best shooter in this class, but he is much more than just a shooter. He can put the ball on the floor and create for both himself and others. He competes on defense. Of course, the shooting ability is the reason that he was drafted this early, but he is a more complete player than the “shooter” label indicates. He averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game for Duke last season and shot 40.6 percent on three-pointers and 91.4 percent from the free throw line. The Hornets are getting a high floor player in Knueppel, who can complement LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller without the ball in his hands and make plays on his own.

Green is expected to make a full recovery, though he’s out indefinitely and without a timetable to return. A first round pick in 2020 by the Mavericks, Green moved into the Hornets starting lineup late in the year as Charlotte dealt with multiple injured starters. While Green had some good performances, he needs to become more of a consistent scorer to be a fantasy asset in the future.

With just a 1.8 percent chance of success, Dallas leaped up in the lottery to nab the top pick in the 2025 draft. A little over three months after GM Nico Harrison traded away Luka Doncic, the Mavs will have a new young superstar to build around. Cooper Flagg is the expected top pick, and he will flawlessly fit Harrison’s mantra “defensive wins championships” that he has echoed tirelessly in every interview since trading Doncic. Assuming nothing changes, Flagg will join a loaded Dallas team that should be a contender in the stacked Western Conference next season. San Antonio, Philadelphia and Charlotte round out the top four picks in a talented draft class.

Okogie finished his year on a high note and matched Jusuf Nurkic for the team’s high in points. He provided Charlotte with some much-needed energy down the home stretch. The 26-year-old is under contract for a reasonable $7.75 million in 2025-26 and should be a reasonable end-of-rotation player next year.

Nurkic scored at least 14 points in four straight games to end the regular season and nearly wound up with a double-double here. The 30-year-old big put together some solid stat lines even when Mark Williams played on several occasions. Nurkic has one year remaining on his four-year, $70 million contract he signed with the Suns in 2022. His role for next year in Charlotte is up in the air and it would not be surprising if he were dealt.