In today's NBA, draft picks are like gold. The pool of young talent entering the league grows exponentially every season. With that in mind, even late first round or second round picks are sometimes considered more valuable than actual prospects. The Charlotte Hornets showed a glimpse of that mentality with Jalen Duren at the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Hornets drafted Duren with the 13th pick. Moments later, a flurry of tweets spoke of the Memphis prospect being traded, with the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks being mentioned as participants. When the dust settled, Duren was officially a Piston, with the Knicks working as a middle man. Charlotte walked away with five new draft picks in the deal:

The 13th pick for 5 non-lottery and non-first round picks might be difficult for some to wrap their head around. How could the Hornets let the Pistons walk away with Duren, especially when Charlotte has a hole to fill at center?

The Hornets are simply valuing the picks higher than the prospect. Duren, once a top five prospect coming out of high school, under achieved at Memphis and prompted questions about his effectiveness at the professional level. Instead, Charlotte will opt for the picks, which can bring in prospects with similar upside or help the team move up in a future draft. In fact, the Hornets have already exchanged the Knicks' 2023 pick for Nebraska forward Bryce McGowens' draft rights.

For the time being the Hornets will use Mark Williams, the 15th pick, to fill the hole down low. Williams certainly doesn't compare to DUren in terms of upside, but will be a positive impact player early on. The Hornets are banking on using their haul to find a greater value than Duren in years to come.