The Charlotte Hornets have signed forward Keyontae Johnson to a contract, according to his agency, Priority Sports. The specifics of the deal are not yet known, but it is likely to be either non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed.
Johnson, 24, stands 6-foot-5 and played nine games with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds. He was selected as the 50th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and signed a two-way contract with OKC about a year ago.
Most of his playing time was spent in the G League with the OKC Blue, where he averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 53% from the field and 39% from three-point range.
With an open roster spot and an available two-way slot, Johnson will likely compete for one of these positions. It’s possible he could be on an Exhibit 10 contract, which is often used as a “make-good” deal for training camp.
Currently, the Hornets have 14 players under standard contracts, with 13 of them guaranteed. The team recently saw the addition of Johnson as a result of various trades, including the one that sent Gordon Hayward to the Thunder and brought Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans to Charlotte. Of these players, Mann and Micic will remain with the Hornets for the upcoming season.
This offseason, Charlotte also brought in coach Charles Lee to replace Steve Clifford following a 21-61 season. The Hornets have not reached the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
