Michael Jordan is in the process of selling the Charlotte Hornets, as he reached an agreement last week with a group headed up by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall (and minority investors like J. Cole) to end his tenure as majority owner.
Jordan’s time as the owner of the Hornets has not seen him reach nearly the level of success he had as a player, and Charlotte’s personnel decisions have been questionable at times, with plenty wondering how much of that was an issue of Jordan’s eye for talent. With that all as background, the Hornets arrive at the 2023 NBA Draft at a critical juncture for the franchise, holding the second pick in a Draft with some considerable talent at the top.
Scoot Henderson is cited by many as the second-best prospect in this class, and the explosive point guard is considered a player that would be the No. 1 pick in most drafts — just not one with a generational prospect like Victor Wembanyama. And yet, the Hornets are reportedly leaning towards taking Brandon Miller, as the 6’9 forward out of Alabama is a clearer fit alongside LaMelo Ball than adding another on-ball guard and reportedly impressed Jordan in his second workout.
On Wednesday, Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak confirmed that, despite Jordan’s tenure as owner coming to a close before next season starts, he will still be the one with final say on Thursday night’s selection at No. 2 overall.
Michael Jordan will have the final say of who the #Hornets select at No. 2, Kupchak said.
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) June 21, 2023
Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak said today at a pre-draft press conference that final say on who Charlotte selects at No. 2 on Thursday night — Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson — will belong to outgoing owner Michael Jordan.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 21, 2023
Kupchak would add that he and Jordan tend to be on the same page and the legend will defer to him, but saying outright that Jordan still has final say certainly raises some eyebrows.
But Jordan's opinion isn't the total end game. "He's always, at the end of the day, deferred to me," Kupchak said. "I can't think of too many times that we weren't on the same page."
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) June 21, 2023
It feels like Kupchak is pre-deflecting some blame for a pick that goes against the consensus. The Hornets do not have the best track record making picks and given how the rest of the league seems to feel about the Miller vs. Henderson debate — with teams waiting to see if Scoot is available before engaging in real trade talks with Portland for No. 3 overall — nothing about how this is going seems ideal for Charlotte.
That said, it’s possible Miller is a sensational player, as he’s a tremendous scorer with great size and that could be just what Ball needs next to him. Or, they might be pulling off one of the great pre-Draft smokescreens we’ve seen and will take Henderson anyway.
