Liam McNeeley Picked 29th Overall and Traded to Charlotte Hornets
After falling slightly below most projections, UConn’s freshman sensation Liam McNeeley was drafted 29th overall by the Phoenix Suns and traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
McNeeley is the 24th first-round pick in UConn history after the Huskies added two last year with Stephon Castle, the NBA Rookie of the Year, and Donovan Clingan, a 2nd Team All-NBA Rookie Team selection. The Texas native who played his high school ball at Montverde Academy was one of four former Montverde players picked in the first round, including first overall pick Cooper Flagg. He said he was holding back tears after the first question he was asked on the live ESPN telecast, and let them go when asked about his former teammates.
The Hornets went 19-63 last season – one of the worst records in the league – and decided to add wing help in the draft. They also picked 6-foot-6 Kon Knueppel from Duke fourth overall, adding to a group that includes 22-year-old starting SF Brandon Miller, who averaged 21.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and SG Nick Smith Jr., 20 years old, who averaged 9.9 points per game as the team’s seventh-leading scorer.
The Hornets are paced by PF Miles Bridges and PG LaMelo Ball, their leading and third-leading scorer, with Miller second. This is a young team, its top seven scorers from 2024-25 were under 26 years old. Also, former Husky legend and NBA All-Star Kemba Walker was part of the Charlotte staff in a player support role last season.
McNeeley secures a guaranteed contract with his first-round selection with an expected value of around $14 million, according to Sportrac. He’s the third-ever Husky to play one year in college and then get drafted, joining Castle and Andre Drummond, and the ninth NBA draft pick in Dan Hurley’s first seven years as UConn head coach, with seven of those coming in the last three seasons.
