The Charlotte Hornets announced on Monday that they officially acquired the draft rights to No. 29 overall pick Liam McNeeley from the Phoenix Suns.
The front office also acquired a 2029 first-round draft pick and guard Vasa Micic in exchange for center Mark Williams and a 2029 second-round pick from Phoenix. The team, in addition to its first-round picks, has picked up additional selections via trades in 2026, 2027 and 2029.
Charlotte introduced McNeeley on Friday, along with draft picks Kon Knueppel (No. 4 pick), Sion James (33rd pick) and Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner (34th pick). With the trade now completed, McNeeley was happy to share the news on X.
LFG FINALLY🙏🤣🐝 https://t.co/tuLYiFJNpW
— liammcneeley (@liammcneeley30) June 30, 2025
McNeeley was the Big East Freshman of the Year, averaging 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists on 38.1% shooting from the field. He is the seventh player in program history to win the award, joining the likes of Stephon Castle, Rudy Gay and Khalid El-Amin.
The 19-year-old registered five 20-point games, including a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range on Feb. 11. He joined Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the only freshmen in modern history with 35 points, 10 rebounds and five 3s in a road game.
McNeeley won’t have to wait long to get started with the Hornets, with the team beginning its stint in the NBA Summer League on July 11. He is excited to join the team and get to work with several other players he has competed against for years.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Liam McNeeley: 29th pick reacts to Hornets’ draft rights acquisition
