Category: Charlotte Hornets Blog

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Charlotte Hornets have named Marlon Garnett, Nick Friedman and Norman Richardson as assistant coaches under head coach James Borrego.

The team has also promoted Jackson Simmons to Head Video Coordinator while Klint Carlson. And Daniel Dixon have been named Assistant Video Coordinators.

“I am excited to add Marlon and Norman to our staff, who both bring high-level professional experience as players and coaches. I’m also thrilled for Coach Friedman in his ascension to becoming an assistant coach on our staff after his work as a player development coach.” said Hornets Head Coach James Borrego. “We are looking forward to what they can bring to our group and are excited about what they will contribute to the development of our program here in Charlotte.”

Garnett is heading into his sixth season as an assistant coach after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-21. Prior to his tenure with Atlanta, he was an assistant coach/player development coordinator with the Phoenix Suns from 2016-18. During the 2015-16 season, Garnett was a player development and quality assurance assistant with the San Antonio Spurs as he served as the head coach at Union Academy in Monroe, NC, in 2014-15.

A long-time professional player, Garnett appeared in 24 games during the 1998-99 season with the Boston Celtics and played internationally in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Iran, Puerto Rico and Slovakia. A Los Angeles native, he played collegiately at Santa Clara and was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year as a senior during the 1996-97 season.

Friedman receives a promotion after spending the last two seasons with the Hornets as a Player Development Coach where he served in a hybrid role with both the Hornets and Greensboro Swarm’s coaching staff. He previously worked for three years as a coach in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Main Red Claws and Norther Arizona Suns. Prior to his time in the G League, Friedman worked under the coaching staff at the University of Miami. The Massachusetts native attended Bates College where he was a member of the basketball team.

Richardson joins the Hornets after spending the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach for Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Previously, he was an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, for three seasons (2017-20). Prior to Fort Wayne, he broke into the NBA G League as an assistant coach with the former affiliate of the Orlando Magic, the Erie BayHawks, in 2016-17. His coaching background includes being a skills development coach for Findley Prep School in Henderson, Nevada, and an assistant coach at Agassi Prep High School in Las Vegas. Richardson’s coaching career began in Germany where he served as the head coach for TSV/Bietigheim from 2012-14.

Richardson was a four-year player for Hofstra (1997-01) and played professionally for the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls in 2001-02. The Brooklyn native played professionally until 2010, including stops with former NBA Development League franchises (North Charleston Lowgators in 2003, Fayetteville Patriots in 2006) and overseas.

Simmons is promoted to Head Video Coordinator after serving as the team’s Assistant Video Coordinator for the last three seasons. He was the Director of Basketball Operations for Western Carolina during the 2017-18 season. A Webster, NC native, Simmons played four seasons at North Carolina from 2011-15.

Carlson and Dixon are both elevated to Assistant Video Coordinators after spending the 2020-21 season with the Hornets as Basketball Operations interns. An Iowa native, Carlson played basketball collegiately at Northern Iowa from 2013-18. Dixon spent three seasons in the G League as a player from 2017-20 after playing at William & Mary from 2013-17.

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Xavier Sneed.

It’s probably a non-guaranteed deal for training camp purposes.

Sneed, 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard/forward, was a member of the Hornets 2021 Summer League Roster in Las Vegas, averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four games. He 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. Sneed finished the 2020-21 season with the second-best steals per game average amongst league leaders.

A four-year player at Kansas State, Sneed played in 137 career contests with the Wildcats, including all 32 games in his senior year. During the 2019-20 season, he averaged a team-best 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game en route to earning All-Big 12 honorable mention.