Charlotte Hornets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clifford Emphasizing Selfless Play

September 27th, 2022 at 8:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In his second stint as the Hornets‘ head coach, Steve Clifford says that individual agendas have to be put aside if they want to be more than just a play-in team, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes.

“We have to be more selfless,” Hornets forward Kelly Oubre said. “We noticed that last year, that when we tried to go out and do things on our own it doesn’t work out as well as it would if we all did it together. So, coach talked about sacrificing some parts of our game to win and winning is the only option. Winning is what we practice and work hard for and we need to consistently do that to show that we are a serious team.”

Southeast Notes: Ball, Plumlee, Beal, Wizards, Hawks

September 26th, 2022 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets brought in LiAngelo Ball on a non-guaranteed contract and he enters training camp with the aim of joining his brother LaMelo Ball on the 15-man roster, he told Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer.

“I feel like I can be a part of the team. I’m just going to play my hardest,” LiAngelo said. “But I feel like my game will carry itself and hopefully I can make the team and play with my brother.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Mason Plumlee started all 73 games in which appeared for the Hornets last season. Head coach Steve Clifford said the plan is for Plumlee to remain the starter with Nick Richards the favorite to back him up at center, Boone tweets.
Wizards star Bradley Beal, who signed a five-year max extension this summer, says there’s one more box to check off in his career — to show that he’s a “winner,” Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. “I’ve shown I can score with the best of them, I’ve shown I can be an All-Star, I’ve shown I can be an All-NBA player,” he said. “I’ve checked every box. Now I have to win and be a winner. That’s my final box that I want to check and will check.”
Wizards president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said the team’s offseason additions should make the club tougher and more tenacious, according to Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington. “What happens is, one or two players can change the way your team is perceived by the other team,” Sheppard said. “You got one or two tough guys, all of a sudden people are like, ‘Hey, don’t mess with this guys.’…It brings it out of [other players] when you look to your left and your right and there’s a lot more fight next to you, it comes out in you too.”
Other than Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is still rehabbing from knee surgery performed in May, the members of the Hawks‘ roster came to camp in excellent shape and good health, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. “I expected them to pass the test if they did anything this summer, and we had some guys put up some good numbers,” coach Nate McMillan said. “But everybody passed the test, and we can move on. (We) came in today, I thought these guys would be a little sore. But they came out and had another good intense practice.”

Hornets Sign LiAngelo Ball To Non-Guaranteed Deal

September 26th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have signed free agent guard LiAngelo Ball to a one-year contract, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Ball’s deal will be non-guaranteed, adds Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The older brother of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team before the 2021/22 season and spent the year with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate. In 28 games for the Swarm, he averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .395/.357/.667 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest.

LiAngelo Ball has also played for the Hornets’ Summer League team in each of the last two offseasons, appearing in three games for the club this July in Las Vegas.

The Hornets only have 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, so there’s theoretically a path to a spot on the 15-man regular season roster for Ball. However, given his modest production at the G League level, it’s hard to envision him earning one of those back-end roster spots.

If Ball’s new deal includes an Exhibit 10 clause, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived by Charlotte and then spends at least 60 days in Greensboro with the Swarm as a returning rights player.

Examining Five Hornets Questions Before Preseason

September 25th, 2022 at 7:25pm CST by JD Shaw

Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer examines five questions for the Hornets ahead of the preseason. Among the questions is what will happen to Miles Bridges, who remains a restricted free agent after being arrested for felony domestic violence back in June.

Hornets Sign Dennis Smith Jr. To One-Year Deal

September 23rd, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 23: The Hornets have officially signed Smith, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Hornets have agreed to sign Dennis Smith Jr. to a one-year contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Smith’s deal will be non-guaranteed, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft and a North Carolina native, Smith averaged 15.2 PPG and 5.2 APG in 69 games (29.7 MPG) as a rookie in Dallas, but his shooting percentages (.395/.313/.694) were underwhelming and he was supplanted as the Mavericks’ starting point guard following the arrival of Luka Doncic in 2018.

Smith was subsequently traded to New York in the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster in 2019, then was flipped to Detroit in the Derrick Rose deal two years later. Following the expiration of his rookie contract in 2021, Smith signed with the Trail Blazers. He averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.6 APG on .418/.222/.656 in 37 appearances (17.2 MPG) for Portland last season before a UCL tear in his right elbow prematurely ended his season.

While Smith’s contract won’t be guaranteed, he has a potential path to a 15-man roster spot in Charlotte if he shows he’s fully healthy and has a strong preseason. LaMelo Ball is the Hornets’ starting point guard and Terry Rozier will take on some ball-handling responsibilities, but the team’s depth chart is otherwise thin at the point.

Currently, the Hornets have 18 players under contract, including 13 players on guaranteed salaries, four on Exhibit 10s, and one on a two-way contract. The team would have room for one more player on its 20-man training camp roster once Smith is officially signed, assuming restricted free agent Miles Bridges remains in limbo due to his legal troubles.

Southeast Notes: Bridges, Gibbs, Hawks, Wizards, Magic

September 16th, 2022 at 9:58pm CST by Rory Maher

A preliminary hearing for Hornets forward Miles Bridges, who is facing three felony domestic violence charges, has been rescheduled for a third time, writes Michael Gordon of The Charlotte Observer.

Bridges was initially scheduled to appear in court on August 19, but it was pushed back to September 7, then to September 16. A spokesman for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office told Gordon that the new court date is set for September 29, which is after training camp begins.

The 24-year-old entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment hearing in July. Bridges could face a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in prison if he’s convicted of all three domestic abuse charges.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Ashton Gibbs is joining the Hawks as an assistant coach, George Michalowski of Pittsburgh Sports Now reports. Gibbs told Michalowski that he’ll work with Atlanta and the College Park Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate. Gibbs played four years at Pitt from 2008-12, averaging 15.6 PPG over his final three seasons. He also made several international stops during his pro career, which ended in 2019, per Michalowski.
With the caveat that something could happen in the next week, all the members of the Wizards‘ projected 15-man roster “appear on track” to be full participants during training camp, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Washington’s training camp starts on September 24, Robbins notes. Star guard Bradley Beal was limited to 40 games in 2021/22 due to a wrist injury that required surgery, and oft-injured big man Kristaps Porzingis also missed several games after he was acquired at the trade deadline.
Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel lists three storylines to monitor regarding the Magic‘s guards. Price wonders whether Jalen Suggs can improve his shooting percentages after an injury-plagued rookie season saw him post a .361/.214/.773 slash line. His 21.4% three-point percentage ranked last out of 292 players who appeared in 20+ games and averaged at least two attempts per contest, Price notes. R.J. Hampton‘s role and the team’s backcourt rotation and starters are also worth keeping an eye on, Price writes.

Eight NBA Teams Have Open Two-Way Contract Slots

September 16th, 2022 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As of Friday evening, 52 of the NBA’s 60 two-way contract slots are filled. Given how flexible those two-way slots are, it’s possible – and, in fact, very likely – that not all 52 of those players will still be under contract when the regular season begins in a month. But for now, there are just eight two-way spots up for grabs around the league.

A team with a two-way opening doesn’t necessarily need to decide how it will fill that spot before training camps begin in 10 days. Some of those clubs may decide to bring a handful of players to camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and then let those players compete for a two-way deal, since Exhibit 10s can be converted into two-ways before opening night.

Listed below are the eight teams that still have open two-way slots, along with some potential candidates to fill those openings.

Charlotte Hornets

With second-round pick Bryce McGowens occupying one two-way slot, the Hornets have no obvious candidate to fill the other, so it’s possible the team will hold a preseason competition. Currently, Jalen Crutcher, Jaylen Sims, Anthony Duruji, and Isaiah Whaley are signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, and all are eligible to have those contracts converted into two-way deals.

Dallas Mavericks

With their first two-way slot, the Mavericks signed Tyler Dorsey, who has high-level international experience and could earn a rotation role in Dallas this season. We’ll see if the team wants to use its second slot on another player who could contribute right away or if that spot will go to someone who is more of a developmental project.

McKinley Wright IV, Mouhamadou Gueye, and Tyler Hall are signed to Exhibit 10 deals and Marcus Bingham will reportedly receive one as well. All could be two-way candidates.

Houston Rockets

Bruno Fernando is the only Rocket who currently has an Exhibit 10 contract, and he remains eligible for a two-way deal. However, Houston has some roster cutdowns to make, which could open up opportunities for other camp invitees to emerge as two-way contenders. For now, undrafted rookie Trevor Hudgins is the club’s lone two-way player.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were the last team to sign a player to a two-way contract this offseason, completing a deal with Kendall Brown on Friday. With Brown holding one two-way slot, the other remains open.

Deividas Sirvydis, Gabe York, Bennie Boatwright, and David Stockton are the two-way candidates currently on the roster, but the team has also reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with Tevin Brown, Eli Brooks, Fanbo Zeng, and Jermaine Samuels, so there will be no shortage of options.

Los Angeles Clippers

Moses Brown, who has 92 career regular season appearances under his belt and could provide much-needed frontcourt depth, is the most intriguing two-way candidate on the roster at the moment, but he’s hardly the only one. Like Brown, Xavier Moon and Keaton Wallace also have Exhibit 10 deals, while Justin Bean, Lucas Williamson, and Michael Devoe will reportedly receive them too.

For the time being, second-rounder Moussa Diabate is Los Angeles’ only two-way player.

Portland Trail Blazers

Given that the Trail Blazers don’t have a G League affiliate, it’s hard to see why they’d sign four players to Exhibit 10 contracts unless they want to have the option to convert one or more into a two-way deal. None of those four players – Jared Rhoden, Isaiah Miller, Devontae Cacok, and Olivier Sarr – has more than three years of NBA experience, meaning all of them are two-way eligible.

Portland’s lone current two-way player, Brandon Williams, is a holdover from last season, so his roster spot may not be as secure as a player who has signed a two-way deal since the offseason began.

Utah Jazz

Like Williams in Portland, Xavier Sneed was in the second year of his two-way contract before he was waived on Friday. The move leaves Johnny Juzang as the only two-way player on the Jazz’s roster.

Utah has a roster logjam to clear and could still make a trade or two before the regular season begins, so it’s too soon to name an obvious candidate to take Sneed’s spot. However, the team has reportedly agreed to sign Kofi Cockburn, Darryl Morsell, and Jeenathan Williams to Exhibit 10 contracts.

Washington Wizards

Jordan Schakel is in the second year of his two-way deal, so he may have to prove this preseason that he deserves to make the 17-man roster. Makur Maker, Quenton Jackson, Davion Mintz, and Jordan Goodwin are all on Exhibit 10 contracts in D.C. and could be in the two-way mix. Second-rounder Yannick Nzosa is also unsigned, but is expected to spend the 2022/23 season in the Spanish League.

Community Shootaround: Charlotte Hornets

September 14th, 2022 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

When I previewed the Hornets‘ offseason in May, I speculated that it would be a busy summer in Charlotte, with James Borrego‘s ouster as the team’s head coach representing the first of many personnel changes likely to occur off and on the court.

As I outlined at the time, the decision to dismiss Borrego suggested that Hornets leadership wasn’t satisfied with the team’s gradual improvement (from 23-42 to 33-39 to 43-39 over the last three seasons) and was preparing to take a big swing to ensure the club was closer to contention in 2022/23.

Instead, Charlotte has been one of the least active teams of the offseason.

The Hornets have inked just one veteran free agent to a standard contract, re-signing RFA forward Cody Martin. They made two trades, but neither brought back a veteran player. The only new player the club has added to its projected 15-man regular season roster so far is former Duke center Mark Williams, the No. 15 overall pick in the draft, who seems unlikely to play a huge role as a rookie.

There are a few possible explanations for the Hornets’ relative inactivity. One is that the club simply hasn’t found many opportunities it liked and continues to bide its time, waiting for an opportunity to make a splash on the trade market. Charlotte was, after all, one of the potential suitors linked to Donovan Mitchell before he was dealt to Cleveland.

Another explanation is that the Hornets aren’t prepared to make major changes to their roster before they see what new head coach Steve Clifford can get out of the current group. If the front office believes that Borrego simply wasn’t maximizing the talent on the roster, it makes sense not to do anything drastic until getting a sense of how the team looks under Clifford.

A third possible explanation is that the domestic violence charges levied against restricted free agent Miles Bridges forced the Hornets to rethink their entire approach to the offseason.

Bridges was one of Charlotte’s two most important players last season, along with LaMelo Ball. Now that his NBA future is up in the air as his legal case plays out, the Hornets may have simply decided that it’s not in their best interest to go all-in on their push for the playoffs, given the extent to which Bridges’ potential absence limits the team’s ceiling.

There’s still a good deal of talent on this Charlotte roster. Ball is a rising star; Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier are quality starters; Cody Martin, P.J. Washington, Kelly Oubre, and Mason Plumlee are solid rotation pieces; James Bouknight, Kai Jones, Jalen McDaniels, and Williams are among the intriguing youngsters who could prove capable of greater roles.

But Bridges will be a big loss if he doesn’t re-sign or if he misses most or all of the season, either on administrative leave or serving a suspension. On top of that, the Hornets are still missing an impact player in the frontcourt who is capable of anchoring the defense and being a pick-and-roll partner to Ball on offense — Williams has the potential to become that player, but the 20-year-old can’t be relied upon to be that guy right away.

We want to know what you think. What’s the next move in Charlotte? Has Bridges played his last game in a Hornets uniform? How can the team continue to make forward progress after making the play-in game in each of the last two seasons?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Hornets Sign Four Players To Exhibit 10 Deals

September 12th, 2022 at 11:12am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have signed Jalen Crutcher, Anthony Duruji, Jaylen Sims and Isaiah Whaley, the team announced in a press release. They all received Exhibit 10 contracts, sources tell Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Whaley was the only name that had been previously reported.

All four players will join Charlotte for the start of training camp on September 27. The Exhibit 10 deals are non-guaranteed and carry a minimum salary, but the players are eligible to receive $50K bonuses if they’re waived before the start of the regular season and join the team’s G League affiliate in Greensboro.

The Hornets now have 18 players on their offseason roster, leaving two openings ahead of camp. Charlotte has 13 players with guaranteed contracts and Bryce McGowens on a two-way deal.

Crutcher, a 23-year-old point guard, was in camp with the Hornets last fall. He spent the season as an affiliate player in the G League, averaging 16.2 points and 6.0 assists in 33 games with the Swarm.

Duruji, 24, split his college career between Louisiana Tech and Florida. The forward averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds over the past two seasons with the Gators.

Sims averaged 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in four seasons at UNC Wilmington. The 23-year-old guard is a native of Charlotte.

Whaley, 23, spent five years at Connecticut and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020/21 season. The power forward was part of the Hornets’ Summer League team, but didn’t appear in any games.

Southeast Notes: Clifford, Ball, Harrell, F. Wagner

September 11th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

A lot changed in the three years that Steve Clifford was away from the Hornets, but the most significant move has been the addition of LaMelo Ball, who appears destined for stardom after being selected with the third pick in the 2020 draft. In an interview with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Clifford talked about the opportunity to coach one of the league’s best young players.

“(With) player development, the misconception is they only get better when they are young,” he said. “The better players have a goal, have a plan for every summer to get better no matter how old they are. And that’s what he’s doing. He has his things in different areas that he’s been working on.

“But I think the biggest thing for him — and I think he would tell you the same thing — is team success. The best players ultimately in our league are always judged by how well their team does. And I know he’s motivated for us to be a playoff team, which would be a good step. And I think in talking with him, that seems to be his vision.”

Ball earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and followed that up with his first All-Star appearance last season while averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists. He has already impressed Clifford with his offseason work ethic.

“He’s been great. He’s been here almost the whole summer,” Clifford said. “He likes to be in the gym. He works hard both on the court and in the weight room. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him, and I think that he’s ready or in a good place to get off to a good start. I mean, I think he’s done all the right things this summer, and I’ve been really impressed with him.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

After Montrezl Harrell agreed to a contract with the Sixers, he tweeted a message of thanks for being able to spend time with the Hornets in his home state. Harrell is headed to his sixth NBA team a few months after Charlotte acquired him from the Wizards at the trade deadline. “Blessed to have played for my home state,” he wrote, “only was 20-25 games but being back in the NC state was a blessing!”
Magic forward Franz Wagner is questionable for the EuroBasket quarterfinals after twisting his ankle in Germany’s win on Saturday, according to Eurohoops. Wagner didn’t return to the game after suffering the injury in the third quarter. There has been no official word on his status for Germany’s next game on Tuesday.
In case you missed it, we looked at the over/under totals for the Southeast Division this week and examined the extension case for Heat guard Tyler Herro.