Yikes. The Charlotte Hornets might be the poster child for “what could have been” in NBA history.
It’s not every day you draft a future Hall of Famer. It’s almost impossible to draft two and let both of them walk on the same night. Yet somehow, that’s exactly what the Hornets did, twice, trading away Kobe Bryant in 1996 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2018.
These draft night deals have haunted the franchise ever since, as the Hornets have remained irrelevant while both stars rose to superstardom elsewhere.
In 1996, the Hornets held the 13th pick and selected a skinny 17-year-old guard straight out of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, Kobe Bryant. He was a high-upside gamble in a draft filled with more NBA-ready talent.
But moments after selecting him, Charlotte traded Kobe to the Los Angeles Lakers for veteran center Vlade Divac. The move was designed to give the Hornets more win-now ability in the post. Divac was solid, but nowhere near the generational force Kobe became.
Kobe went on to become a five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, league MVP in 2008, and an 18-time All-Star.
He retired with 33,643 points (third all-time when he left the game), two jersey numbers retired, and a legacy that transcended basketball. Meanwhile, Charlotte never came close to a conference finals appearance in the post-Kobe era. Oof.
Fast-forward to 2018. The Hornets once again had a lottery pick and selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th overall pick.
At the time, SGA was viewed as a promising, versatile guard out of Kentucky with long arms, poise, and elite defensive tools. But minutes later, the Hornets traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers for Miles Bridges and two second-round picks.
Bridges has had some standout moments, but Shai has blossomed into a bona fide superstar. Now leading the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was named the 2025 MVP after finishing as the runner-up in 2024.
He’s a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA First Team player, and at just 26 years old, looks like the face of the league’s next generation.
What makes the pain worse is imagining what the Hornets’ franchise might look like if they had held on to even one of those two.
Kobe could have given Charlotte its first NBA championship, or at the very least, made them nationally relevant for two decades. SGA would have instantly provided a long-term franchise cornerstone they’ve lacked since Kemba Walker left.
Instead, the Hornets have been trapped in a cycle of mediocrity for years, making only three playoff appearances since 2002 and never getting past the first round. Trading away two generational guards before they ever wore the jersey might be the most cursed draft luck of any team in league history.
It’s safe to say Charlotte didn’t just trade players. They traded away entire eras.
