Charlotte Hornets select Duke’s Kon Knueppel with No. 4 overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Kon Knueppel won’t have to change his state of residence, just his zip code.
Two months removed from helping the Duke Blue Devils during their run to the Final Four, the Charlotte Hornets made Knueppel the fourth overall selection in the NBA Draft at Barclays Center in New York on Wednesday night. They picked up Knueppel not long before trading Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns for a package that included the No. 29 selection on Wednesday night and a 2029 first-rounder.
“I’m super excited to be here, especially in an area I’m familiar with in North Carolina,” Knueppel said on a Zoom call with Charlotte-area media. “Obviously, I’m coming in and just going to give it my all right away and be ready to work hard can hopefully affect winning in a big-time way.”
Ace Bailey, considered by many to be the third-best player in the draft, was still available after the Philadelphia 76ers passed on him and took VJ Edgecombe at No. 3 overall. As The Observer reported since the day after the NBA Draft Lottery in May, the Hornets liked Edgecombe and had the Baylor product highly-rated on their board.
Bailey got picked fifth by the Utah Jazz, so there could have been an opportunity for Charlotte to possibly flip Bailey for more assets, trade down to another spot and still select Knueppel. But Jeff Peterson, the Hornets’ president of basketball operations, indicated the price wasn’t to the Hornets’ liking.
“We had some opportunities to move back,” Peterson said. “I certainly had some conversations, but we felt like it wasn’t worth the cost I would say to move back to potentially miss out on Kon.”
A 6-foot-7 guard and native of Milwaukee, Knueppel adds depth to the Hornets’ backcourt headlined by star guard LaMelo Ball. He posted 14.4 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a freshman with the Blue Devils, nailing 47.9% from the floor and 40.6% beyond the 3-point arc.
He took a huge leap once teammate and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg sprained his left ankle in the ACC Tournament at Spectrum Center in March, totaling 63 points in three games en route to claiming tournament MVP honors, aiding in Duke winning its 23rd ACC Championship crown.
Although some talent evaluators are concerned about Knueppel’s defensive ability, his shooting stroke and basketball IQ are highly-rated among this year’s draftees.
“I think obviously the best part about my game is my shooting,” Knueppel said. “And that’s something I’m always going to rely on, but I think there’s a lot more to me as a player than that. And so hopefully I’ll get there and keep getting better.”
That’s how the Hornets envision it.
“He’s more than just a shooter — he’s a versatile player,” Peterson said. “But of course, the shooting, it just helps with spacing when you’ve got LaMelo (Ball) and Brandon Miller out there, just the gravity that he’ll provide on the floor.
“But again, he can handle it some. I think you saw that when they played here in the ACC Tournament when Cooper got hurt and he kind of had to shoulder the load at that position. So just his overall versatility is going to help us a ton.”
The Hornets also hold selection Nos. 33 and 34 in the second round, which takes place Thursday. Once the draft wraps up, the team can turn its full attention to the start of free agency on Monday.
That’s also when the exclusive window to negotiate with their own free agents concludes. Chief among them is Tre Mann, who missed the bulk of the season with disc irritation in his back, and has been working out with his teammates and participating in scrimmages.
Mann is a restricted free agent after the Hornets extended the expected qualifying offer of $6.9 million, they will have the ability to match any deal he signs on the open market.
“Bringing Tre back is a priority for us,” Peterson said. “I’m having conversations with Tre and his representation. So, I don’t see any reason why he’s not back.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 8:40 PM.
