Brian and Darian select five players from the Sweet 16 to create a balanced team. They discuss their drafting strategies and how their players enhance one another's performance on the basketball court. Additionally, they choose a coach from the remaining 16 teams.

Brian and Darian assess players competing in the upcoming NCAA men’s tournament. The following prospects are reviewed (in order):

Jase Richardson, Kam Jones, Danny Wolf, VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Walter Clayton Jr., Derik Queen, Nique Clifford, Kasparas Jakučionis, Chaz Lanier, Tre Johnson.

Richie brings on Matt Alquiza to discuss the intel from Michael Scotto’s recent piece about a potential LaMelo Ball move. The two discuss the package type required to send Ball to another team. The final segment puts percentages on the likelihood of Ball, Bridges, Green, Okogie, and Williams returning to Charlotte in 2025-26.

Richie and Brian react to Adam Silver’s recent comments and answer a listener's question about the future of the Hornets. The two discuss Mark Williams and if anything can be done to fix future trade failures in the NBA. They also set priorities for a multi-year plan for the Hornets to become a playoff winner by 2028.

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🚨 | Richie discusses the failed trade of Mark Williams and all the implications of his return to Charlotte. He chats about the reputation of Jeff Peterson, the re-insertion of Mark Williams into the rotation, and maneuvering the awkward situation with the center rotation.

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Brian, Darian, Spencer, and Div recap the busy day for the Hornets as they made multiple trades. The four break down the Mark Williams deal that landed Charlotte Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick. They discuss how this affects the offseason and future outlook of the team. They finish by evaluating the transaction with Phoenix that sent Cody Martin and Vasilije Micić out the door for Jusuf Nurkić and a 2026 first-round pick.

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Richie answers a listener's question about retaining a handful of Hornets. He ranks Cody Martin, Josh Green, Grant Williams, Josh Okogie, Tre Mann, and Moussa Diabaté in terms of his preference for keeping players heading into next season.

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Brian and Darian evaluate Nick Smith Jr. and Tidjane Salaün midway through the 2024-25 season. The two highlight Smith’s recent play and Salaün’s assignment to Greensboro. The two also discuss the promising signs and concerns for both of these young players as they progress through their rookie contracts.

The episode also has discussions on Brandon Miller’s injury to begin the episode and the implications of that moving forward.

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🚨 | Richie returns to the microphone to detail the trade of Nick Richards and Josh Okogie. He discusses the implications on the court, in the cap sheet, and within the roster as the Hornets move forward to the second half of the season.

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Brian and Darian return to chat about Charles Lee’s first season as head coach for the Charlotte Hornets. The two discuss promising and worrisome aspects of his 7-25 start to the season. How much blame can be placed on Lee?

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