Hornets' Vasilije Micic: Notches 19 for bronze medal
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Micic provided 19 points (5-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-8 FT), two assists and two rebounds across 21 minutes in Saturday's 93-83 win over Germany in the bronze medal game of the Paris Olympics.
Micic tied Nikola Jokic for the game high in points as Serbia secured a trip atop the podium. The 30-year-old produced his best outing of the Olympic games, and it came at the right time for Serbia as it defeated Germany, the 2023 FIBA World Cup Champions. Micic was a solid third option for the squad, and he averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds across 22.0 minutes per game in six Olympic matches.
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Hornets' RaeQuan Battle: Signs Exhibit 10 deal
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Battle signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hornets on Thursday, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Battle was part of the Hornets squad in the Summer League, and this Exhibit 10 contract puts him in line to potentially play in the G League with the Hornets' affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Battle went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft but averaged 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 assists in his senior season at West Virginia in 2023-24.
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Hornets' Vasilije Micic: Productive outing in Olympic win
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Micic accumulated 15 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 22 minutes in Serbia's 96-85 win over South Sudan in the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Micic was the clear No. 3 option behind Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic in Serbia's victory. The 30-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds across 21.7 minutes in three group-phase contests. Micic's ability to move the rock and spread the floor will be crucial for Serbia as they enter the Olympic quarterfinals.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Joins Charlotte on two-way deal
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Diabate and the Hornets agreed to a two-way contract Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The No. 43 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Diabate spent the past two seasons with the Clippers where he made a total of 33 appearances. With the Hornets in the early stages of a rebuild, there is a much bigger path to minutes for Diabate with his new franchise, though he'll likely spend the bulk of his time in the G League early on.
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Hornets' Matt Morgan: Going overseas after SL
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Morgan will play for Virtus Bologna in 2024-25, Eurohoops.net reports.
Morgan set a Hornets' Summer League record with 36 points Friday against Portland, going 11-for-11 from the field and drilling seven threes in 23 minutes off the bench. The 31-year-old guard most played in the British Basketball League a season ago but will transition to EuroLeague for the 2024-25 campaign.
Curry (ankle) agreed to a one-year contract with the Hornets on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Hornets acquired Curry from the Mavericks on Feb. 8, and he proceeded to average 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his eight appearances with Charlotte before being shut down for the rest of the season with a right ankle sprain. If he's not yet fully healthy, Curry should be ready to go for the start of training camp, and even though the Hornets don't profile as contenders during the upcoming season, the 33-year-old Charlotte native was still eager to re-sign with his hometown club. He'll face plenty of competition for playing time in Charlotte's backcourt, as he'll go up against the likes of Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann and Reggie Jackson.
Salaun logged eight points (3-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT), seven rebounds and one assist over 14 minutes in Saturday's 94-90 Summer League win over the Knicks.
Selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Salaun is considered a long-term bet on upside for the Hornets. In the short term, the Hornets could utilize his wingspan, athleticism and defensive energy off the bench. While playing for Cholet in France in the 2023-24 season, the forward averaged 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 assists.
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Hornets' Taj Gibson: Signs pact with Buzz City
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Gibson signed a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Hornets on Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Gibson briefly played for both the Knicks and Pistons last season, during which he averaged 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds across 10.3 minutes in only 20 regular-season appearances. The 39-year-old will serve as a valuable veteran presence on the Hornets; however, he will likely pick up minimal playing time behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards.
Hornets' KJ Simpson: Signs two-way pact with Charlotte
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The Hornets signed Simpson (hamstring) to a two-way contract Sunday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
The No. 42 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft will be eligible to spend time with both the Hornets and their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, during his rookie season. Simpson suffered a hamstring injury prior to the draft and will miss the Las Vegas Summer League, but he should be good to go for training camp. The 21-year-old point guard averaged 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.1 three-pointers and 1.6 steals in 35.1 minutes per game over 37 appearances during his final season of college with Colorado while shooting 43.4 percent from downtown.
The Hornets re-signed Bridges (wrist) to a three-year, $75 million deal Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Bridges will return to the Hornets after averaging a career-high 21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists across 69 regular-season games last year. The 26-year-old also took a career-high 6.5 attempts from deep in 2023-24 and shot 34.9 percent from range. Bridges missed the Hornets' final game with a wrist injury; however, he is expected to be ready for training camp.
Hornets' Davis Bertans: Returns to action with Latvia
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Bertans produced nine points (3-7 FG, 3-6 3Pt), one steal and one block across 20 minutes in Latvia's 83-55 win over Georgia on Tuesday.
Bertans missed the Hornets' final regular-season game due to Achilles soreness, but his return to game action with Latvia bodes well for his return in 2024-25. The 31-year-old was a non-factor for the Thunder last season, and he was acquired via trade by the Hornets on Feb. 8. Bertans went on to play 28 games for the club, during which he averaged 8.8 points and 1.8 rebounds across 20.8 minutes per game.
