ESPN insider believes Hornets 'sorely' need some lottery luck this year

In less than one week, the Charlotte Hornets will find out if they're truly cursed or if they've just been biding their time.

Over the last several seasons, the vast majority of which were spent in the lottery, the Hornets have never gotten truly lucky.

More often than not, they've fallen from where they were supposed to be, including last year.

For now, the team's rebuild remains in talent acquisition mode .

They're still stockpiling assets alongside LaMelo Ball to try and get to relevancy.

Their ability to continue doing so might depend on how the ping pong balls fall next week.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony believes the Hornets need some good luck in the lottery.

Ball is a nice piece who needs to stay healthy, and Givony said Brandon Miller has "shown considerable promise when healthy." But still, things have not gone well recently, so the Hornets need a good roll in the lottery.

"After the failed Mark Williams trade with the Lakers at the deadline, and a somewhat discouraging season from rookie Tidjane Salaun, the Hornets have time on their side but could sorely use good luck on May 12 to propel the franchise in a more defined direction," Givony said.

The attempted Mark Williams trade would've changed things, but it fell through.

The selection of Tidjane Salaun was always a long-game decision, but it'll be a couple of seasons before anyone can tell whether or not the Hornets have something.

There aren't really any prospects like that at the top of this draft class.

If the Hornets stay at third as their record would indicate, Givony believes they'll pick Ace Bailey.

If they remain in the top four and get Bailey, Cooper Flagg , Dylan Harper, or VJ Edgecombe, that would be fortunate.

Falling to fourth wouldn't be, but they'd still be in line for a great, franchise-altering prospect.

Falling to fifth, sixth, or seventh, which is as low as they can slide, would not be ideal.

After last year, when they fell to sixth after having the fifth-worst record, another slide would be unfortunate.

It would, sadly, only be the latest example in a long line of bad luck, hence Givony's comment about "sorely" needing things to turn up Hornets.

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