Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 6 – NBA Blog

Charlotte Hornets sign guard Isaiah Thomas to 10-day contract

The Charlotte Hornets have signed guard Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract.

Thomas signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks earlier this season, appearing in five games and averaging 8.6 points and 2.0 assists in 22.9 minutes per game in his 11th season in the NBA. He also appeared in four games for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League, accruing averages of 41.8 points and 6.5 assists per contest. Thomas scored 46 points at Greensboro on Feb. 26, the most points in a game in the G League at that time, as well as 45 points against the Windy City Bulls on Feb. 23.

Wizards trade Montrezl Harrell to Hornets

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that the team has acquired center Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards in exchange for center Vernon Carey Jr., guard Ish Smith and the Boston Celtics’ 2023 second-round pick, which is top-45 protected.

“Ish returns to us as a respected veteran leader who can guide our young players as we continue to compete over the stretch run of the season,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Vernon is a talented young player who can build on his brief but promising NBA experience while continuing to develop within our system.”

In his seventh NBA season, Harrell is averaging 14.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 46 games, including three starts, for the Washington Wizards. The Tarboro, NC, native ranks fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (64.5%) this season and is averaging 9.8 points in the paint per game, which ranks first among NBA reserves (25th overall). In his 43 appearances off the bench this season, Harrell is averaging 13.7 points per game, which is good for the sixth-highest scoring average among NBA reserves.

The 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Harrell holds career averages of 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.6 minutes per game in 433 total games with the Rockets (2015-17), Clippers (2017-20), Lakers (2020-21) and Wizards (2021-22). He currently ranks fourth in NBA history in career field goal percentage (61.9%) and has finished in the top ten league-wide in field goal percentage in each of the last four seasons. The University of Louisville product was selected 32nd overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Carey appeared in 23 career games for the Hornets over the course of two seasons, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game after being selected 32nd overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Duke University.

Smith appeared in 37 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game after signing with Charlotte as a free agent on Aug. 7, 2021. For his career, the North Carolina native and Wake Forest product holds career averages of 7.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game over 691 appearances (167 starts) with Houston, Memphis, Golden State, Orlando, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington and Charlotte.

LaMelo Ball selected as injury replacement for Kevin Durant in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant for the 2022 NBA All-Star that will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland and air live on TNT and ESPN Radio.

Ball, who was previously selected for the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars, is the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star and one of nine players with an All-Star selection before their 21st birthday. He is the first Hornets player to earn the honor since Kemba Walker in 2019.

In his sophomore campaign, Ball is averaging 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 47 games, all starts. He ranks 26th in points, 10th in assists and 17th in steals per game in the NBA this season and is also 13th in free throw percentage (.875%). Ball has posted four triple-doubles, already tying the Hornets single-season franchise record and is just one of 10 players with four or more triple-doubles on the year. The 20-year-old became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach five career-triple doubles on Jan. 26 at Indiana.

The 2020-21 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year, Ball is just one of two players averaging at least 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. His 12 points-assist double-doubles are tied for the fourth most among Eastern Conference guards as he has 16 double-doubles overall this season. Ball has had 12 games with 10 or more assists, ranking fifth in the East, while his 10 games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists ranks tied for fourth among guards in the Eastern Conference this season.

He joins Larry Johnson (1993, 1995), Alonzo Mourning (1994, 1995), Glen Rice (1996, 1997, 1998), Eddie Jones (2000), Baron Davis (2002), Gerald Wallace (2010) and Kemba Walker (2017, 2018, 2019) as the only players in franchise history to be named an NBA All-Star. Ball is just the third Hornets player to earn an All-Star selection in their second season, joining Johnson (1993) and Mourning (1994).

Ball will be among the pool of players that were selected as starters and reserves in each conference that will be drafted by LeBron James and Kevin Durant who will serve as captains after leading their respective conference in fan voting.

Hornets guard Terry Rozier back from health and safety protocols

The Hornets are welcoming Terry Rozier back to action. Via the Charlotte Observer:

Instead of getting overly frustrated or bitter about his unexpected weeklong respite, Terry Rozier was quite the opposite.

Being sidelined in the NBA’s health and safety protocols gave the Charlotte Hornets guard a chance to take on a parenting role of sorts, keeping close tabs on the newest ones in the flock as they attempted to spread their wings while he was out.

“I’m like a proud dad watching the young homies hoop,” Rozier told The Observer on Monday. “So that’s how I felt — like a proud dad.”

Finally cleared and able to play again, Rozier rejoined his teammates just in time to begin their six-game road trip here against the Mavericks. He participated in morning shootaround and was his usual jovial self, which was surely a welcomed sight for the Hornets.

The Hornets are 15-13 this season, which is the 8th best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Miles Bridges at 20.3 points per game, LaMelo Ball at 20.0 ppg, Rozier at 17.7 ppg, Gordon Hayward at 17.6 ppg and Kelly Oubre at 16.9 ppg.

Charlotte Hornets promote Buzz Peterson, Larry Jordan and David Duquette within basketball operations department

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today the following promotions within the team’s basketball operations department: Buzz Peterson to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations & Assistant General Manager, Larry Jordan to Vice President of Player Personnel and David Duquette to Assistant General Manager.

“The promotions for Buzz, Larry and David are very well deserved as all three of them possess a wide array of talent, experience and basketball knowledge,” said Kupchak. “They have all played an integral part in our team building process since I arrived in Charlotte. I’m excited to continue to work with them in the future as we build around our young, talented core of players and look to take the next step in our growth as a team.”

Peterson is in his 10th season with the Hornets, having served the past four seasons as Assistant General Manager. He has been involved in all aspects of the team’s basketball operations, including professional and collegiate scouting, draft preparations, player acquisitions, G League operations and salary cap management. During his tenure with the Hornets, Peterson has also served as a Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations, Director of Player Personnel and a scout. Prior to the NBA, Peterson held college head coaching positions at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Coastal Carolina University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Tulsa and Appalachian State University (twice), compiling an overall coaching record of 267-227.

In his 10th season with the organization, Jordan has spent the prior seven seasons as the team’s Director of Player Personnel. Jordan’s responsibilities include scouting college, G League and NBA games to identify and evaluate players, as well as providing results and analyses to assist in building and improving the roster for both the Hornets and its G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Additionally, he oversees the team’s scouting department. Previously, Jordan spent two years with the organization as Director of Special Projects, working closely with various departments across the organization.

Duquette enters his 11th season with the Hornets, having served as Director of Basketball Strategy/Team Counsel for the previous three seasons. Among the variety of basketball operations matters he oversees, Duquette advises on the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary cap management and player contracts. During his time in Charlotte, Duquette has also served as Director of Basketball Affairs and a Basketball Operations Assistant. Before joining Charlotte, Duquette started his NBA career as an intern and later a Basketball Operations Assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hornets exercise contract options on LaMelo Ball and PJ Washington

The Charlotte Hornets have exercised their third-year option on guard LaMelo Ball and their fourth-year option on forward PJ Washington.

Ball is in his second season with the Hornets and is averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game through Charlotte’s first four games of the season. The reigning Rookie of the Year, Ball averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 51 games, including 31 starts during the 2020-21 season to become just the 12th rookie in NBA history to average 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. A Chino Hills, California native, he was selected third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft after spending the 2019-20 season with the Illawarra Hawks.

In 125 career games, including 118 starts, Washington is averaging 12.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting .444% from the field and .377% from 3-point range. The 2019-20 All-Rookie Second Team selection begins his third season in Charlotte and has accrued averages of 6.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three games. Last season, Washington became the youngest player in franchise history to score 40 points in a game on Feb. 28, 2021, after he scored 42 points in a win at Sacramento.

Hornets waive Wes Iwundu

The Charlotte Hornets have waived forward Wes Iwundu.

Iwundu appeared in four games for Charlotte during the preseason, averaging 0.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game. A four-year veteran, he has accrued averages of 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game in 223 career contests, including 50 starts. Iwundu was originally acquired by the Hornets from New Orleans on Aug. 7 as part of a three-team trade along with a protected 2022 first-round draft pick and cash considerations.

The Hornets roster currently stands at 17 players.

Charlotte Hornets waive Jalen Crutcher and Cameron McGriff

The Charlotte Hornets have waived guard Jalen Crutcher and forward Cameron McGriff.

Crutcher made one appearance during the preseason, totaling three points, one rebound and one assist in 12 minutes vs. Dallas. In four games for Milwaukee at the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League, he averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in Las Vegas. Crutcher played four seasons at Dayton from 2017-21 and averaged 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 24 games as a senior.

McGriff did not appear in a preseason contest for the Hornets. He was a member of the Hornets Summer League roster that competed in Las Vegas. McGriff spent the 2020-21 season playing for Okapi Aalst of the BNXT League in Belgium where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 27 games. He played four seasons at Oklahoma State from 2016-20, averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 132 career games with the Cowboys.

The Hornets roster currently stands at 18 players.

Hornets sign Jalen Crutcher and Cameron McGriff

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Jalen Crutcher and Cameron McGriff.

The deals are likely non-guaranteed contracts.

Crutcher played in four games for Milwaukee at the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League, averaging 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in Las Vegas. He played four seasons at Dayton from 2017-21 and averaged 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 24 games as a senior.

McGriff was a member of the Hornets Summer League roster that competed in Las Vegas but did not appear in a game. He spent the 2020-21 season playing for Okapi Aalst of the BNXT League in Belgium where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 27 games. McGriff played four seasons at Oklahoma State from 2016-20, averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 132 career games with the Cowboys.

The Hornets roster currently stands at 20 players.

Hornets waive DJ Carton and Xavier Sneed

The Charlotte Hornets have waived DJ Carton and Xavier Sneed.

Carton did not appear in a game for the Hornets during the preseason. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.8 assists in four games with Charlotte at the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League. An undrafted rookie out of Marquette, Carton averaged 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 27 games during the 2020-21 season.

Sneed was also a member of the Hornets 2021 Summer League Roster in Las Vegas, where he averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four games. He did not make an appearance for Charlotte during the 2021 preseason. Sneed appeared in 13 games last season with Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.