The Charlotte Hornets almost added Dalton Knecht last season before Mark Williams physically failed with the Los Angeles Lakers, but they could have ended up with a better player after trading Williams for the Phoenix Suns.
On the fourth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets chose Duke standout Kon Knueppel, one of the best shooting games in their class and expected to perfectly complement the Lamelo ball.
On the 29th pick in the draft, the Hornets picked up turmeric wing Liam McNeely.
The Hornets added rights to McNeely thanks to a draft night trade, sending center mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns, giving Los Angeles Lakers fans a sense of deja vu.
Shortly after the Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Donsic, it was clear that they needed internal forces to catch Rob and block the shot. Williams looked like the perfect candidate, and the Lakers agreed to send rookies Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, first round picks and Williams swaps to the Hornets.
However, after Williams physically failed, the deal was quickly cancelled, creating a troublesome situation for all players involved.
It was immediately clear that Williams would be traded with the first package the Hornets were offered, but the failed physics clearly erod his value.
A few months later, Charlotte shipped him to the Sands for his first round pick in 2029, and Vasilije Micic.
The Hornets missed Knecht, but that seems to be a good thing so far.
Despite being touted as one of the nation’s best shooters prior to his freshman season with the Huskies, McNeely shot only 31.7% from Deep, averaging 14.5 points.
Knecht remained solid, earning 39.7% in his final college season, accounting for 37.6% of his rookie season attempts with the Lakers.
However, Knecht was 23 when drafted, and McNeeley was just 19, with plenty of room for growth and improvement.
In fact, he’s already flashing some improvements, surpassing Knecht in the summer league so far.
| player | ppg | RPG | APG | FG% | 3pt% |
| Dalton Knecht | 12.4 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 33.3% | 25.0% |
| Liam McNeely | 18.0 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 40.7% | 42.9% |
The 2029 Pick the Hornets will be the least favourable and perhaps the late choice of the Jazz, Timberwolves and Cavaliers.
Meanwhile, Knecht is expected to continue trading after the original Williams trade is over, and he doesn’t do much to help with the value this summer.