Hornets Make A Definitive Decision On Kai Jones
The Charlotte Hornets have some intriguing young pieces on the roster for the 2023-24 NBA season, but there are some character concerns about a few of them.
The Hornets made the controversial decision to bring back Miles Bridges, who was suspended for 30 games without pay due to a domestic violence incident involving his wife and two kids.
Charlotte also drafted Brandon Miller No. 2 overall despite his alleged involvement in a murder case.
However, the Hornets have also had to deal with the backlash of Kai Jones’ shocking social media antics where he appeared to be under the influence and called out several of his teammates.
Jones is an athletic center who has shown flashes, but fell out of the rotation last season and was even rumored to be on the trade block.
In the wake of Jones’ social media rant, Charlotte has decided to have him away from the team, via Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Charlotte Hornets will have 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely and there’s no timetable for his return, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Jones will miss training camp due to personal reasons, and team remains in constant communication with him.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2023
The Hornets appear to be giving Jones the time he needs to deal with whatever it is he’s dealing with and seem open to bringing him back once things are resolved.
Charlotte has Mark Williams and Nick Richards to soak up the center minutes, along with rookie James Nnaji.
This is an unfortunate situation that the organization has to deal with as it would’ve been preferable to have Jones around for depth purposes.
However, the team almost had no choice but to make this decision given the alarming nature of his behavior and his own personal safety.