The Charlotte Hornets are signing center Taj Gibson to a one year contract, according to multiple reports.
Free agent center Taj Gibson has agreed on a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, Mark Bartelstein of @Prioritysports tells ESPN. GM Jeff Peterson and coach Charles Lee bring on Gibson, 39, to mentor in a young locker room. pic.twitter.com/pT1P2tnMEY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 13, 2024
#Hornets have agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with Taj Gibson, league sources confirm. Charles Lee gets a much-needed veteran voice for the locker room.
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) July 13, 2024
We could just to read a lot into Boone’s word choice in describing the veteran addition as “much-needed.” It could imply that there is a lot of immaturity in the locker room, and they need another voice to reel them. Or it could simply be that the Hornets only had Reggie Jackson and Vasilije Micic on the roster over the age of 30. Either way. Gibson is quintessential locker room veteran presence, so he’s a great get for that role. He only played in 20 games last season and didn’t do much of anything, but he’s not here to play. He’s here to veteran.
While we’re reading into things, it’s probably worth thinking about what Gibson’s signing means for the Hornets standing in the league. It’s possible he was a foot and half out the door to retirement before the Hornets talked him into playing one more season like the Hornets did with Ish Smith last season. But if there was any sort of market for Gibson, the fact that he agreed to sign with a Hornets organization that’s been a complete cluster-F for the last few years signals a change in perception about the organization, like our pal Nata pointed out on Twitter.
Btw, Taj likely doesn’t sign under the old regime.
— 'Nata Edwards (@NataTheScribe) July 13, 2024
Testament to the rep and relationship Lee and Peterson have
Gibson will be a mentor and break glass in case of emergency 15th man for the Hornets. The team still has one roster spot and one two-way spot still available, so more moves to come.
