The Washington Wizards seem to run into the Charlotte Hornets more frequently than anyone else league-wide. Their usual meet-ups at annual NBA Draft lotteries have quickly transitioned into showdowns between two of the Eastern Conference's deeper up-and-comers, though they've both greatly-altered their looks over the last few months.

While the Wizards added Trae Young , Anthony Davis and leadoff draft prospect AJ Dybantsa to their ship, the Hornets opted to re-set their still-inspiring timeline. Out went LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in favor of an enhanced focus on Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, with a few other down-the-line veterans similarly-moving on from Charlotte in a slew of standard offseason lineup shuffles.

Oct 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) dribbles the ball in front of Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) during the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena.…