According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets are signing former Kentucky Wildcat and New Orleans Pelican Antonio Reeves to a two-way contract.
Damion Baugh is being waived to make room for Reeves. I feel bad for Baugh, who played well in the summer league and has been a great culture fit for the rebuilding Hornets. Hopefully he lands on his feet, or selfishly I’d like it if he still ended up on the Swarm.
As for the new guy, he’s not a center, which is what everybody has been expecting the Hornets to address. They just won’t do it. That said, Reeves is a somewhat surprising get on a two-way deal. As a second round rookie with the Pelicans last season, Reeves averaged seven points per game while shooting nearly 40% from three on good volume. In the G League, he averaged about 25 points per game while shooting 42% from three. He’s already proven he can contribute at the NBA level.
The Pelicans elected to waive Reeves instead of fully guaranteeing his minimum contract for the 2025-26 season, which is somewhat strange considering they still don’t even have a full roster yet. But this is a new era in New Orleans. They hired a bunch of guys that drove the Detroit Pistons into the ground and have quickly established a reputation as a team that’s going to do things that don’t make any sense. The Hornets are the next team to take a crack at profiting off that.
