The Charlotte Hornets released Nick Smith Jr. on Thursday. Unlike the other flurry of roster transactions that each got a simple PR Tweet, NSJ got a whole thank you.
Smith never seemed long for the roster after the Hornets used most of the offseason stockpiling guards. And even without the roster squeeze, his spot on the roster seemed tenuous at best after two seasons. While he had stretches of play that featured scorching hot 3-point shooting and scoring outbursts, those moments were interspersed with frigid spells where he couldn’t buy a bucket. As an undersized guard with limited play making and poor defensive traits, NSJ had to be consistently elite as a scorer to carve out a role as a microwave sub off the bench. He hadn’t shown that through two seasons, and the Hornets don’t have the space to wait around anymore.
NSJ finishes his Hornets career with averages of 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game with shooting splits of .391/.369/.928 (elite free throw shooter).
The move won’t have any real effect on the Hornets cap situation. Smith’s contract was technically expiring after this upcoming season since the team hadn’t picked up the option for his fourth year yet. With only a $2.7 million cap hit this year, Smith’s release has very little impact from that perspective.
It’s typically pretty sad to see players get let go like this, even if we could see the writing on the wall. NSJ has always been a consummate professional and seems like a genuinely good dude. Hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere. With the timing of the move, there is time for him to find a new team before camps open in the next week or so.
