Live updates: Hornets received a lot of trade interest before Brandon Miller pick

The Charlotte Hornets have made three selections in the 2023 NBA Draft.

After spending the bulk of the past two months working out more than 160 prospects from all around the globe, the Charlotte Hornets stepped into the spotlight Thursday, selecting Alabama’s Brandon Miller No. 2 overall. With French phenom Victor Wembanyama bound for San Antonio, the Hornets were essentially already on the clock at No. 2 overall and held the keys to the draft.

Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller were widely viewed as the two best players behind Wembanyama, and it should be just the start of an eventful night for the Hornets, continuing a pretty significant week for the franchise.

Charlotte also has four other selections — Nos. 27, 34, 39 and 41 — and could trade one or more.

“Right now, I don’t know if we will draft all five picks,” Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said Wednesday. “But if we do and you look at our roster and you say, ‘There’s no space for all five players.’ But if we do I think we’re still in a good spot. Whether we two-way those players, we stash them or we trade them down the road.”

Observer staffers will keep you up to date on Hornets-related draft happenings, tracking them right here. So stay tuned for additional information throughout the day. One note: the newest posts are at the top of this story. Scroll down to see the older ones you may have missed.

12:20 am — Charlotte makes its final selection in Thursday’s draft, choosing UCLA point guard Amari Bailey. A former five-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High in Los Angeles, Bailey and his mother were featured on a Lifetime reality show.

11:19 pm — To kick off the second round, the Hornets traded up, sending a pair of second-round pick to the Boston Celtics for the rights to No. 31 overall pick, James Nnaji of Nigeria. Nnaji is one of the youngest players to be drafted this year. At 6 feet, 11 inches and 226 pounds, he played center for FC Barcelona.

11:00 pm — Charlotte selected Nick Smith Jr. at No. 27. Smith joins second overall pick, forward Brandon Miller, as part of this year’s draft class. The 19-year-old guard will compete for playing time behind the starting backcourt of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier as a rookie.

During his college career, the Jacksonville, Arkansas, native averaged 12.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during his lone season with the Razorbacks.

10:57 pm — One down, at least another one on the way.

With Brandon Miller on board after being selected No. 2 overall earlier in the night, the Charlotte Hornets are back on the clock waiting to make the 27th pick. There are plenty of good players remaining and the Hornets could wind up with a late-round steal.

Among some of the top talent still waiting for a home: G League Ignite’s Leonard Miller and the University of Connecticut’s Andre Jackson.

– Roderick Boone

9 pm — Following the selection of Miller, Kupchak said the Hornets received interest from a handful of teams ahead of the pick.

“There was quite a bit of activity the last couple of days,” Kupchak said. “I would say five or six teams that pretty heavily pursued the (second overall) pick. And we have to follow that through. We have to figure out how legitimate it is, maybe what the value is, find out what may be on the table, and you never know, maybe there is a deal there, right? Maybe you could get three or four teams bidding against each other, and then all of a sudden it turns into something you can’t turn down. But it didn’t get that far.

“But there was a lot of interest. I would say five or six teams. But we never got to the point where we seriously considered moving the pick.”

— Mike Kaye

8:56 pm — Hornets fans at the Spectrum Center gave a mixed reaction to the Miller selection:

— Mike Kaye

8:15 pm — Brandon Miller is bound for Charlotte.

The Hornets chose the former University of Alabama star with the No. 2 pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in New York, ending the debate regarding whether Charlotte would select the 20-year-old wing or instead choose G League Ignite standout Scoot Henderson.

— Roderick Boone

8:11 pm — The Charlotte Hornets are on the clock.

San Antonio officially took Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA Draft, putting the Hornets up next. Charlotte is expected to take Brandon Miller, league sources told the Observer.

— Roderick Boone

7:00 pm — The Observer’s correspondents are uptown at Spectrum Center, where the line to get in snaked all the way toward 5th Street at least 20 minutes before doors opened at 6:45 p.m.

— Sarah Effress

3:44 pm — Fans in Charlotte can watch the Hornets make their potentially franchise-shifting selections tonight at a few different places. Among them? The team’s home arena. The Hornets’ official draft party will take place at the Spectrum Center in uptown Charlotte. Doors open at 6:45; pre-draft programming begins at 7; and the 2023 NBA Draft officially begins at 8.

Per previous reporting from The Observer: Just by attending and getting your ticket scanned you’ll be entered to win one of 35 giveaways, in honor of the Hornets’ 35th anniversary, valued at over $8,000 including autograph items, arena show tickets, and fan store shopping sprees. Plus: The first 1,000 kids in attendance will receive a full size basketball. Admission is free but tickets are required; claim those tickets here.

Fans can also catch the game at a few different bars. LaVar Ball, the father of Hornet star point guard LaMelo, was promoting a watch party at Pinhouse in Plaza Midwood earlier this week. Check out the bar’s social channels for more information.

— Alex Zietlow

2:55 pm — Sterling “Scoot” Henderson has climbed ahead of Brandon Miller as the new favorite to be selected with the Charlotte Hornets’ second overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft with at least one major sportsbook.

Henderson, a G League standout, is now at the top of the list to be the player selected with the second overall pick by FanDuel Sportsbook. Miller, a former University of Alabama swingman, was previously viewed as the top target for the Hornets’ selection.

FanDuel now has Henderson as -420, while Miller is +240.

— Mike Kaye

READ MORE: How ‘Scoot’ Henderson got his nickname

12:25 pm — Throw one national observer into the Scoot camp — maybe. Shams Charania, the lead NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium, says Henderson is gaining “serious momentum” with the Hornets and that Charlotte remains “torn” about its decision.

— Scott Fowler

11:55 am — With the draft slightly more than eight hours away, many national observers now believe the Hornets will go with Alabama’s Brandon Miller at No. 2 overall over Scoot Henderson.

National oddsmakers currently have Miller a heavy favorite over Henderson. And ESPN’s mock draft has Miller slotted at the No. 2 pick, with Henderson then going No. 3 to Portland.

Wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Woo about Miller’s visit Monday: “Sources told ESPN the feeling coming out of that workout was that Miller further helped himself, bringing a much greater intensity level, making shots, and faring well when tested in defensive situations. The word was he also had a positive meeting with Michael Jordan, and at this point, all indications are that the Hornets are prepared to go with Miller here.

“Henderson endeared himself to Charlotte, but it’s fair to say that Miller looks like the easier choice, able to slot in easily as a tall wing scorer alongside guard LaMelo Ball as the Hornets push toward competitiveness.”

Rod Boone, the Charlotte Observer’s beat writer for the Hornets, also has Miller going to Charlotte in his final mock draft.

However, a trade-down remains possible.

— Scott Fowler