From worst to first was a saying seldom heard in the NBA during the dynasty years.
Today’s NBA has more parity than ever, with seven different champions in as many seasons. While playoff contenders are still driven by star power, the evolution of the role player has shifted the draft process and player acquisition dynamic.
Looking around the NBA today, teams are jumping from the lottery to true contenders faster than ever, leaving the Charlotte Hornets behind in no man’s land for a ninth consecutive season. In the Hornets’ case, they aren’t looking to go from the lottery to a championship-caliber team overnight. The franchise’s new regime has continued to stockpile players it believes fit the “Hornets’ DNA,” moving on from veteran starters and retooling with myriad prospective role players and future draft capital.
While the Western Conference features at least a baker’s dozen teams actively pursuing the postseason, the same can’t be said for the Eastern Conference.
And that’s where Charlotte must capitalize.
Charlotte Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson addresses the press at media day at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. on September 30th, 2024. DIAMOND VENCES dvences@charlotteobserver.com
With Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft looming, Charlotte is slated to make three picks: No. 4 overall in the first round, and 33rd and 34th overall in the second round. While president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson hasn’t been known to work the phones on draft night, Charlotte’s front office is taking an opportunistic approach to emerge from NBA irrelevancy.
“That’s my job, right? To continue to do what’s best for the organization, and we just want to continue to be extremely opportunistic,” Peterson said in January. “If deals present themselves or we’re proactive in aggressively trying to strike a deal that sets the organization up for a sustainable contender, then we’re going to have to look really, really hard at that.”
Peterson, head coach Charles Lee, and Charlotte’s new ownership team have said all the right things to this point. And it all sounds good, but the question becomes, how do you do that? And what’s the timeline?
The small market excuse is out the window, watching Oklahoma City and Indiana, which both rank behind Charlotte in TV market size and metro population, provide one of the most memorable Finals matchups in the past 10 years.
The Observer looked around the league at three teams that have made the jump during the Hornets’ postseason absence, and what combination of lottery luck, splash trades, and player development proved just right.
The cliché answer is that it takes a balance of patience and competitiveness to create the sustainable contender that Peterson is working toward. However, one thing stands true for these three teams — their best player reached the playoffs at least once in their first four seasons in the NBA. And entering year six, LaMelo Ball has yet to advance past the play-in tournament.
Detroit Pistons
The Motor City is the most recent example of a near-worst to first turnaround, coming from winning just 14 total games last season (losers of 28 straight at one point) to totaling 44 victories and making the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19. And much like the Hornets, the Pistons’ lottery luck hasn’t been in their favor, picking fifth in consecutive drafts despite posting the worst record in the league for successive seasons.
The rebuild hasn’t been linear, either, hiring and firing former 2018 coach of the year Dwane Casey, taking an expensive one-year rental on Monty Williams, and finally landing on J. B. Bickerstaff, who was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024 — all while moving on from four front office executives in that span.
May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the second half during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Detroit landed its superstar in the 2021 NBA Draft, picking Cade Cunningham No. 1 overall from Oklahoma State to lead the franchise forward. Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren (traded from the Hornets), Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson, all drafted from 2020-23, played key roles in the turnaround. But the off-season acquisitions of 2024 pushed the Pistons back to the playoffs.
Veterans Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley inked free-agent deals, and Detroit dealt Quentin Grimes in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. during the offseason. To round out their roster, the Pistons helped facilitate the Jimmy Butler trade to Golden State, moving on from K.J. Martin and adding Dennis Schröder to the fold.
From the longest losing streak in NBA history to scoring their first playoff victory since 2008, Detroit’s resurgence shows that any team in the league, including Charlotte, can make the jump, and the next question is about sustaining it.
Orlando Magic
The ties between Charlotte and Orlando are tangible, featuring stints under Steve Clifford’s control, drafting their two superstars over the past five years, placing a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the court, and relying on Clifford’s successor to succeed under a new front office.
Outside of a top-tier defense, the Orlando Magic’s best attribute in the past five years has been the front office’s ability to move on from franchise players at the right time and capitalize on the return draft assets, much like Charlotte’s decisions to move on from Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and PJ Washington ahead of the trade deadline in 2024.
In 2021, Orlando traded All-Star center Nikola Vucevic for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round picks — one of which became franchise cornerstone Franz Wagner. The following summer, Orlando needed some magic to win the lottery, posting the second-worst record in the league and landing superstar Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick to pair with Wagner.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the second quarter during Game 5 of first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. David Butler II David Butler II-Imagn Images
Looking to build on their first playoff appearance since 2019, Orlando landed one of the best role players in the market, signing two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2024 free agency. Following consecutive first-round exits, Orlando made the most significant trade of the summer so far, adding former Memphis star Desmond Bane to the core, alongside Banchero, Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, in a deal that sent four first-round picks, a reserve guard in Cole Anthony, and Caldwell-Pope to the Grizzlies.
While behind Orlando in the rebuilding process, the Hornets have their core four in Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, and five first-round draft picks in the next three drafts. In short, Charlotte has the ammunition to make a splash trade when the time is right.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Drafted No. 1 overall in 2020, two slots ahead of Ball, Minnesota landed its superstar in Anthony Edwards. While Ball took the edge as the best player in the class in his rookie season, scoring rookie of the year honors, Edwards has continued to elevate his superstardom, reaching the Western Conference Finals in consecutive seasons, aided by his strong supporting cast.
May 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots the ball againts Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Of Minnesota’s top eight in minutes played during the 2025 postseason, Edwards was the lone player the Wolves’ front office selected through the draft. Naz Reid went undrafted in 2019, signing a two-way deal with Minnesota. The other six were all acquired via trade, with former franchise cornerstones Andrew Wiggins, Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russel being moved in exchange for Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Rudy Gobert.
Another small-market team, the Wolves’ lottery fortune has landed two No. 1 overall picks in the past 10 years, a luxury Charlotte hasn’t had since Larry Johnson in 1991. But after landing their superstar in Edwards and taking a chance on a first-time NBA head coach in Chris Finch the following season, Minnesota’s front office has built one of the deepest teams in the league through the trade market — a path that Charlotte could utilize with Peterson loading up on future draft capital.
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