Charlotte Hornets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign Taj Gibson To One-Year Deal

July 13th, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Rory Maher

8:23pm: Gibson’s signing is official, the Hornets announced in a press release.

9:51am: The Hornets intend to sign veteran big man Taj Gibson to a one-year, $3.3MM contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Based on the reported terms, Gibson will receive the veteran’s minimum for a player with 10+ years of experience ($3,303,771), while Charlotte will carry a $2,087,519 cap hit.

The 26th pick of the 2009 draft, Gibson has spent the past 15 seasons in the NBA. He had a long stint with Chicago to open his career before playing for Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York (twice), Washington and Detroit. He finished the 2023/24 season with the Pistons.

Gibson, 39, is no longer a top-tier reserve or a starter like he was in his prime, but he’s still highly valued for his locker-room presence, professionalism and leadership.

Charlotte has a new front office led by head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and a new head coach in Charles Lee. The team has repeatedly mentioned work ethic as a point of emphasis this offseason, which is something Gibson is known for.

The 6’9″ forward/center holds career averages of 8.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 965 regular season games, including 450 starts (23.5 MPG).

Groups Revealed For 2024 NBA Cup

July 12th, 2024 at 7:28pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA has announced the five-team groups for this year’s in-season tournament, now renamed the Emirates NBA Cup, the league announced in a release on Friday (Twitter link).

Like last year, there are six groups — three each from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference — and each conference was split into five groups based on last year’s standings. One team was selected at random from each group to determine the group round matchups.

The results are:

West Group A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets and Trail Blazers
West Group B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Spurs
West Group C: Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies
East Group A: Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets and Hornets
East Group B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors and Pistons
East Group C: Celtics, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks and Wizards

The NBA Cup begins with group play, which runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3. Each team plays one game against each of the four opponents in its group. The NBA released a matchup matrix to help fans follow along (Twitter link).

Just like last season, the winner of each group advances to a knockout round alongside the team with the best record in each conference that didn’t win a group. The semifinals and finals will again be played in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Last year, the Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament over the Pacers. LeBron James was named the tournament MVP after dropping 24 points in the title game.

The full game and broadcast schedule for group play will be announced next month.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Fields, Murray, Hawks, Magic

July 12th, 2024 at 1:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Australian swingman Josh Green told Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer that he was asleep when his agents phoned him around 3:00 am to inform him he was being traded to the Hornets.

The 23-year-old, who is on the Australian national team that will compete in the Paris Olympics, was sent to Charlotte from Dallas in the six-team mega-deal that saw Klay Thompson land with the Mavs. He says he’s “super excited” for a fresh start.

“It’s such a young team and they play at a fast pace,” Green said, “and I think I’m able to thrive in transition, being able to pick up the ball and play defense and just continue to grow my game. I’m still a young guy and it gets fun to be around older guys in Dallas and learn from them, and take that to Charlotte and just come in with a winning mindset, and, yeah, be ready to go.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Boone also recently spoke to the Hornets‘ 2024 draft picks, Tidjane Salaun (No. 6 overall) and KJ Simpson (No. 42). French forward Salaun, who doesn’t turn 19 until next month, says he didn’t watch the NBA growing up as he didn’t think he’d make it to the league. He says being a lottery pick is a surreal experience. “Yeah, it’s weird. Yes.” Salaun told Boone. “For sure because before I became a professional I was in (France) with my teammates, some guys we go to school every day without crowds. And now I have some fans … just all of this is crazy. Just to have a practice facility … I have a practice facility that’s different than the arena. Everything, everything. The weight room. They have many things to be the best possible and in shape.” Simpson, meanwhile is nursing a hamstring strain that will sideline him for all of Las Vegas Summer League, but he’s still actively involved on the sidelines, encouraging teammates and analyzing film. The 6’0″ guard, who is on a two-way contract, says he wants to hone his decision-making and defensive skills, according to Boone.
Hawks GM Landry Fields says it was a tough choice to trade Dejounte Murray, but ultimately it was a necessary one, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was a hard decision,” Fields said. “It was challenging. We knew that where we ultimately want to be was gonna require some challenging decisions. Just not being at that point, currently, where we felt like we can continue on with what we have. So wanted to reshape some things and this is an unfortunate part of the of the business. Dejounte is a fantastic player. … But we’re also very excited about the guys that we got back, got a few assets with it, too, which are going to be helpful for us to continue to build, so I wish him nothing but the best. He and his family have been great with us.” Fields also acknowledged Atlanta is facing a “roster crunch” after acquiring four players for one in the deal. The Hawks have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts now that Vit Krejci‘s four-year deal is official, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed contract with a early guarantee date of August 1.
In a subscriber-only story for The Orlando Sentinel, Jason Beede lists five things to watch for the Magic heading into Las Vegas Summer League, including second-year guard Anthony Black‘s growth as a leader. As Beede writes, Orlando’s Summer League squad features recent first-rounders in Black, Jett Howard, and Tristan Da Silva, plus a handful of former NBA veterans trying to make it back in the league (such as Jarrett Culver and Theo Maledon).

Hornets Notes: Smith, Lee, Offseason, Simpson

July 10th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Nick Smith Jr., a first-round pick in 2023, is hoping to carve out consistent rotation minutes in 2024/25 under new Hornets head coach Charles Lee, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

The 20-year-old appeared in 51 games as a rookie last season, averaging 5.9 RPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.2 APG on .391/.432/.867 shooting in 14.3 MPG. He pointed to solid defense as his path to regular playing time.

“That’s what’s going to get you on the court,” Smith said. “I’m a guard, small guard, at that for the NBA. I’m 6-3 and have a long wingspan, but I’ve got to be able to guard the best guards in the country, and the best guards in the NBA, and the best wings at times. And I want my team to count on me to get those stops, because I want that challenge.

“And I’m pretty sure everybody knows I want that challenge, too. So, it’s just repping it each and every day, especially coming out here and just not taking any games lightly, it’s playing with the team. The team understands that winning comes first, defense comes first and Coach Lee has definitely preached that.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

First-year head coach Lee is drawing rave reviews from his players even though he’s only been around the team for a handful of weeks, according to Boone. Lee decided to lead the summer league squad after finishing out last season as an assistant for the title-winning Celtics. “No. 1, I’m so excited to be part of this Hornets organization and also love the game, love to coach,” Lee told The Observer. “And I feel like I’ve been away from the guys as I went on that playoff run. And now’s my opportunity to start building with them, start learning some terminology, learning the players and also just create an environment of, ‘We’re all going to get down to work like nobody’s above anything.’ And so I was just ready to hit the ground running.”
The Hornets have been very active this offseason, making changes to the back end of the roster and agreeing to re-sign Miles Bridges to a three-year, $75MM contract. Those series of moves suggest that new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and new co-owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall are focused on improving the team’s talent pool rather than going with the status quo, Boone writes for The Observer.
Rookie guard KJ Simpson, the 42nd overall pick of last month’s draft, signed a two-way contract that covers two seasons, a league source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). A two-time All-Pac-12 honoree during his three-season stint with the Colorado Buffaloes, the 6’0″ Simpson averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.9 APG and 1.6 SPG in ’23/24.

KJ Simpson Signs Two-Way Deal With Hornets

July 7th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:25pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

4:01pm: Former Colorado point guard KJ Simpson is signings a two-way deal with the Hornets, sources inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Charlotte selected Simpson with the No. 42 overall pick in last month’s draft.

A two-time All-Pac-12 honoree during his three-season stint with the Buffaloes, the 6’0″ Simpson notched career-best averages of 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 2023/24.

Simpson is most valued for his offensive upside with the club, especially as a scorer and play-maker, but could struggle on the other end as an undersized guard.

He’ll join former two-time ACC All-Defense North Carolina guard Leaky Black among the club’s two-way signings, leaving one open slot.

In the first round of the draft, Charlotte selected 6’9″ former Cholet Basket power forward Tidjane Salaun with the sixth overall pick.

Klay Thompson Sign-And-Trade Completed As Six-Team Deal

July 6th, 2024 at 9:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks announced on Saturday that they’ve acquired longtime Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson via sign-and-trade in the first six-team deal in NBA history (Twitter link).

“We’re thrilled to have Klay join us in Dallas,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison said in a statement. “As one of the league’s greatest shooters who competes on both ends, we feel Klay is a perfect fit for our team. He adds a strong, experienced veteran voice that will help us continue to build on the success we’ve seen in recent years. Klay’s championship experience, clutch performances and calm demeanor under pressure exemplify what it takes to win in the NBA at the highest level. He will help us continue to grow towards our goal of winning another championship.”

The Hornets, Timberwolves, Sixers, and Nuggets are also involved in the trade, with separate agreements involving Kyle Anderson (Minnesota to Golden State), Buddy Hield (Philadelphia to Golden State), and Reggie Jackson (Denver to Charlotte) all folded into a single mega-deal.

As best we can tell, the terms are as follows:

Mavericks acquire Thompson (sign-and-trade) and a 2025 second-round pick.
Warriors acquire Anderson (sign-and-trade) and Hield (sign-and-trade).
Hornets acquire Josh Green, Jackson, the Nuggets’ 2029 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2030 second-round pick.
Timberwolves acquire a 2025 second-round pick, a 2031 second-round pick swap (from Warriors), and cash (from Warriors).
Sixers acquire the Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick.
Nuggets acquire cash (from Hornets).

There’s at least one minor adjustment from the original agreements. Because the Warriors benefit most from turning multiple deals into a single trade (they can use Thompson’s outgoing salary to salary-match for both Anderson and Hield, allowing them to give the two players a higher combined salary than what Thompson’s will make), they’re no longer receiving a second-round pick from the Hornets. It appears that pick is being rerouted to the Wolves, who needed to send or receive an asset from another team besides Golden State.

We don’t yet know the exact details of the 2025 second-rounders being acquired by Dallas and Minnesota, but it looks like one of them is the 2025 Nuggets pick that Charlotte initially agreed to acquire as part of the Jackson trade and one of them is the 2025 Sixers pick that Charlotte already controlled. The Hornets were always going to send out two second-round picks for Green — they’re just going to Dallas and Minnesota now, instead of Dallas and Golden State.

There may be more moving pieces here though, since none of the announcements from the six teams involved have shared the full details, so we’ll keep an eye out for updates.

For more details on all these trades, be sure to check out our original stories:

Mavericks to acquire Klay Thompson (story)
Warriors to acquire Kyle Anderson (story)
Warriors to acquire Buddy Hield (story)
Hornets to acquire Reggie Jackson (story)

Southeast Notes: KCP, Fultz, Okeke, Ware, Highsmith, McGowens, Wizards

July 6th, 2024 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic‘s promising future played an important role in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s decision to join the team in free agency, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Caldwell-Pope won titles with the Nuggets in 2023 and the Lakers in 2020, and he likes his chances to pick up a third ring in Orlando.

“I’m always chasing the championship,” Caldwell-Pope said. “… Seeing their progress, they just made it to the playoffs, taking Cleveland to a Game 7. That was enough for me. They got a little bit of a taste of that pressure and what it takes to make it past the first round. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”

Caldwell-Pope will become a veteran leader on a team that has amassed an impressive collection of young talent over the last few drafts. He’s looking forward to playing alongside Paolo Banchero, who became an All-Star in his second NBA season.

“His knowledge of the game,” Caldwell-Pope responded when asked what stands out about Banchero. “Him being patient in certain situations, making plays for his teammates to get his teammates involved. Being so much of a little bit of a leader that I’ve seen from him.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic renounced their free agent rights to Markelle Fultz and Chuma Okeke to clear up cap room for other moves, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Both players are still eligible to sign new contracts with Orlando.
The Heat want rookie center Kel’el Ware to gain weight before the start of the season, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). The first-round pick weighed in at 230 pounds when he arrived at Summer League camp, and he said the team would prefer him to be between 240 and 245.
Free agent forward Haywood Highsmith still has interest in returning to the Heat, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Sixers were considered a potential landing spot for Highsmith, Chiang adds, but that seems less likely after Philadelphia signed Caleb Martin.
Bryce McGowens, who was waived earlier today, will continue to be part of the Hornets‘ Summer League team, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Brown University assistant coach T.J. Sorrentine was thrilled to get the chance to join Brian Keefe‘s staff with the Wizards, relays Bill Koch of The Providence Journal. “My family was happy. I was in a great spot,” Sorrentine said. “But going through a day with coach Keefe and meeting with people, I left here and I called my wife (Emily) and I was like, ‘Man, it’s going to be really hard to come back to college.’ This was a unique opportunity. That’s when I knew it was time to go. I was ready. I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity.” Adam Caporn, director of development with the Nets’ coaching staff, has also accepted a job with Washington, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). Caporn’s hiring had been anticipated.

Spurs Trade Graham, Second-Round Pick To Hornets; Graham Waived

July 6th, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

3:35pm: After officially waiving three players to create additional cap room, the Hornets have completed their trade for Graham and New Orleans’ 2025 second-round pick, per a team release. They sent out cash to San Antonio and immediately waived Graham, as expected.

2:26pm: The Hornets will receive New Orleans’ 2025 second-round pick in the deal, while the Spurs receive cash, sources tell Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).

12:41pm: The Spurs are trading Devonte’ Graham and a second-round draft pick to the Hornets, one of the veteran guard’s former teams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Graham won’t be back in Charlotte for long, though. According to Wojnarowski, the Hornets plan to waive Graham, making him an unrestricted free agent. The guard’s $12.65MM is partially guaranteed for $2.85MM, so Charlotte will have to take his fully salary into its cap room but will only end up on the hook for $2.85MM.

The 6’1″ Kansas alum, 29, played sparingly with the Spurs last season, averaging just 5.0 points per game on a .352/.301/.813 shooting line. He appeared in just 23 contests, logging 13.6 minutes per night.

Graham kicked off his NBA career with the Hornets, for whom he played from 2018-21. He spent 2021/22 and part of ’22/23 with the Pelicans before being traded to San Antonio midway through that season. During his best year, 2019/20, Graham finished fifth in Most Improved Player voting, averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), this deal will give San Antonio some additional cap relief — the team now projects to have up to about $19MM in cap space.

As Gozlan notes, the Spurs could theoretically take back the mid-sized contract of a veteran wing like Harrison Barnes or Kevin Huerter to help orchestrate a three-team sign-and-trade with the Bulls and Kings to send All-Star wing DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento. San Antonio likely has something specific up its sleeve that will require a bit of extra breathing room below the cap, since Graham’s $2.85MM partial guarantee was pretty minimal.

The Hornets are reportedly waiving Davis Bertans in order to open up the cap room necessary to take on Graham’s salary.

Hornets Cut Aleksej Pokusevski, Bryce McGowens

July 6th, 2024 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

3:34pm: Pokusevski and McGowens have officially been waived, according to a release from the Hornets.

2:40pm: The Hornets will create some additional salary cap flexibility by waiving two more players on non-guaranteed contracts. The team is cutting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), as well as wing Bryce McGowens, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

The 17th pick in the 2020 draft, Pokusevski spent three-and-a-half seasons in Oklahoma City before being waived by the Thunder in February. He caught on with the Hornets a few days later and played a regular role off the bench in Charlotte down the stretch, averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes per game across 18 appearances.

McGowens, meanwhile, has played in Charlotte for the past two seasons after being drafted 40th overall in 2022. The 21-year-old appeared in 59 NBA games last season, averaging 5.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG with a .439/.333/.776 shooting line in 14.9 MPG.

Both Pokusevski ($2.27MM) and McGowens ($2.02MM) were on non-guaranteed minimum salary contracts. Cutting them is necessary to accommodate a series of moves the Hornets are completing using cap room, including trading for Devonte’ Graham, Josh Green, and Reggie Jackson. The club is also waiving Davis Bertans, whose salary is only partially guaranteed.

If Pokusevski and McGowens don’t catch on with another team right away and there’s mutual interest in a return to the Hornets, there would be no rule stopping Charlotte from re-signing them on new minimum deals. But it’s unclear whether or not that’s the plan for either player.

Hornets Waive Davis Bertans

July 6th, 2024 at 3:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

3:33pm: The Hornets have cut Bertans, the team confirmed in a press release. He’s on track to clear waivers on Monday.

1:01pm: The Hornets will waive veteran power forward Davis Bertans, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bertans has a $16MM salary for 2024/25, but only $5.25MM of that total is guaranteed. Charlotte will be on the hook for that partial guarantee, creating more than $10MM in cap room in the move.

Ahead of Charania’s report, cap expert Yossi Gozlan had speculated (via Twitter) that Charlotte might make this move to accommodate the incoming salary of veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham in its trade with the Spurs. The Hornets are acquiring their former guard in exchange for a second-round draft pick from San Antonio. Graham is slated to be waived as well.

Bertans, 31, was dealt to the Hornets from the Thunder midway through the 2023/24 season in the Gordon Hayward trade. He saw his role expand on a lottery-bound Charlotte squad, averaging 8.8 points on a .394/.375/.889 shooting line.

A career 39.6% percent shooter on 4.7 long-range attempts a night, the 6’10” vet could have a decent market for his services as a floor-spacing stretch four. Given that this is at this point his only true skill and he’s now over 30, Bertans will probably be on the hunt for a veteran’s minimum-level deal.