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The Charlotte Hornets traded Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns for the 29th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday and a 2029 first-round pick. That 29th pick became Liam McNeeley. This deal comes after a failed trade before the 2025 trade deadline that almost saw Williams dealt to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and two future first-round picks.
Williams played nice with the media and the organization about the failed physical portion, but it seemed inevitable that he would be moved. With Day 1 of the draft complete, both teams have more work to do heading into day two.
Hornets trade grade: A
Projections had McNeeley going in the lottery, but getting him along with Kon Knueppel solves the Hornets' shooting woes from a season ago. McNeeley averaged 14.5 points at UConn but only shot 31% from deep. That number could go up playing alongside a young core that already features impressive talent.
The real win of the trade is that general manager Jeff Peterson managed to get a future first-round pick in 2029. That gives Peterson and the Hornets seven total first-round picks for the next four drafts.
That creates a nice treasure trove of picks to continue gathering more prospects or trade them for an impact player. Teams like Oklahoma City use that strategy to cash in on talent and move them for future draft capital.
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Suns trade grade: C-
Williams averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season while playing a career-high 44 games. He's not a bad player, but the Phoenix Suns also drafted Duke freshman Khaman Maluach with the 10th pick in the draft as well.
Add that to Nick Richards and Bol Bol, and the Suns are deep at the center position. After moving on from Kevin Durant, there still doesn't seem to be a plan in place yet on how they transition.
With a roster with Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Bradley Beal on it, they just created another logjam at another position. There's plenty of offseason left to go, but they have a lot more questions then they do answers at this point in time. Filling out the rest of their roster at the other positions is priority number one for them.
The Hornets are building out their system the right way. The young talent added alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller is appealing for potential veterans looking to help out a young core. Again, the offseason is far from over. More moves by teams all over the league will continue to be made for better or for worse.
