Charlotte Hornets
Who Will Atlanta Hawks Take In NBA Draft?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2026 NBA Draft starts on June 23rd. Let’s take a look at teams from the Southeast and see who they should select in the first round.
#3 Memphis Grizzlies (25-57): This is a great position to be in. As long as a team is inside the top 5 they have the chance to get a franchise player and future super star.
I think the best-case scenario here would be Cameron Boozer (Duke). The 6’8 forward is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. Boozer was the National college player of the year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American. He averaged 22.5 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game last season.
Point guard Ja Morant is still on the roster but he might be traded. This would be a great pick regardless if he stays with the team. They have another first round pick.
#8 Atlanta Hawks (46-36): The Hawks traded four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young in January. The reason I pointed that out to say they need a point guard.
I think the best fir would be Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville). The 6’5 guard was on the ACC All-Rookie team and third-team All-ACC in 2026. He averaged 18.2 ppg and 4.7 apg. He scored 45 points against NC State, breaking Cooper Flagg’s ACC freshman single game scoring record.
Atlanta’s offense runs through NBA All-Star power forward Jalen Johnson so Brown will have a playmaker to rely on. They have another pick later in the first round.
#13 Miami Heat (43-39): Elite prospects are off the board at this point. Miami should be open to drafting the best available player here, regardless of position. Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins are entering the final year of their contracts.
I think they really need frontcourt depth beyond Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. Power forward Hannes Steinbach (Washington) would be a good fit. He’s 6’11 and he was the NCAA rebounding leader last season. He was also third-team All-Big Ten.
Steinbach averaged 18.5 ppg and 11.8 rpg while shooting over 57% from the field.
#14 Charlotte Hornets (44-38): Their biggest need is interior scoring. They have a good core they can build around. Charlotte led the league in made threes last season (16.4 per game). They made 37.8% of them, which ranked third overall.
I believe 6’9 forward Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan) would be a good pick. He won a national championship with the Wolverines last year. He was also on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Second-team All-Big Ten. He averaged 13.1 ppg and 7.3 rpg. They also have the 18th pick.
#16 Memphis: 6’3 guard Christian Anderson Jr. (Texas Tech) might be the player taken. The sophomore from Atlanta averaged 18.5 ppg, 7.4 apg and rpg. He was the Big 12 Most Improved Player, First-team All-Big 12 and a Third-team All-American.
#18 Charlotte: Center Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn) is 6’11 and pounds. He was First-team All-Big East in 2026. He averaged 14.7 ppg, 9 rpg and he made 60.7% of his shots.
#23 Atlanta: Small forward Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) is a 6’8 wing that played professionally in New Zealand. He averaged 11.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg while playing 25.8 minutes per game.
Who’s Next?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season is almost over and we already know the draft order for the upcoming 2018 draft.
One of the weaker divisions is the Southeast. Three of the teams (Atlanta, Orlando & Charlotte) are picking in the top eleven. Another southern team (Memphis) is in the Western Conference and they have a top five pick. Let’s take a look at the biggest needs for each of these teams.
Atlanta (24-58) had the worst record in the East so they can improve in several areas. The Hawks actually have three first round picks (No. 3, 19, 30) so they have a chance to vastly improve the talent on their roster. In the NBA you need a superstar player to win and sell tickets.
A big man would be the biggest need, either a power forward or center. The top option if available is Marvin Bagley III from Duke. He’s a 6’10 center/power forward that averaged 21 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game and made 61.4% of his shot attempts. He is a great rebounder so he will get easy shots. He can help the team win now and give them a marquee franchise player for the first time since Dominique Wilkins.
I expect Atlanta to select a guard with the 19th pick. By that time all of the big names will be off the board. I believe someone like Anfernee Simons will still be available. He was the No. 7 player in the class of 2018. The 6’4 guard from Orlando played at IMG Academy this past season.
He will be able to go straight to the NBA through a loophole. He graduated from Edgewater High in his hometown and spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy. He has talent but he has not faced college competition, so he is a mystery.
I think Atlanta will trade the 30th pick so I’m not sure who they would select.
Memphis (22-60) had the second worst record in the league. They also are forced to play in the tough Western Conference even though geographically they don’t belong. Michigan State center Jaren Jackson Jr. might be a good fit. At 6’11 and 235 pounds, he needs to put on weight in the NBA.
He averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3 blocks per game. He is able to step outside as well as protect the rim. He is probably a couple years away from making a consistent contribution. If he can mature physically and mentally, he can become a perennial All-Star.
Orlando (25-57) was the second worst team in the East. The Magic have had some amazing players in their fairly short history like Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis. Hopefully, they can get another transcendent star with this pick. Duke center Wendell Carter would be the ideal selection.
Wendell was overshadowed by Bagley at Duke but he was not far behind him in terms of production. He averaged 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 2.1 BPG. He’s 6’10 and 250 lbs. so he has a frame ready for the NBA. I think he can become an elite player that the Magic can build around in the future.
Michael Jordan’s team (36-46) just finished another subpar season. The Hornets franchise has not had much success after they were resurrected as the Bobcats. Alabama guard Collin Sexton would be a great pick. He will be Kemba Walker’s successor at point guard.
Walker was explosive last year, averaging 19.2 PPG and 3.6 APG. He may only be 6’1 but he should be able to score at will at the next level.
Dwight Howard Trade Perfect For Charlotte Hornets
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Normally there are only a few times where you pay an athlete in excess of $20 million when he or she is on the downside of their prime, playing for their fourth team in five years, at a position that has almost become obsolete.
Either they are the local hero ending their career in front of the hometown fans; they are the last piece to what could become a championship team; or the player has photos of the team’s General Manager in compromising situations and is blackmailing their way into a lucrative contract.
Since none of those things seem to apply to Dwight Howard being traded to the Hornets (Rich Cho does happen to live a fairly private life though), it’s a little odd that I like this trade as much as I do.
