Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have signed point guard LaMelo Ball to a a rookie contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ball played 12 games for the National Basketball League's Hawks team based out of Australia, averaging 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists in the professional league.

A foot injury (and subsequent rehab) led to Ball's season ending prematurely.

Ball is now the Hornets' franchise cornerstone after arriving in Charlotte as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He figures to share time with Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier off the bat but should eventually be the Hornets' full-time starting point guard as he gets acclimated to the league.

Charlotte will have a new look next season as the team welcomed in Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward in free agency and waived forward Nicolas Batum. We'll soon find out if that's good enough for the Hornets to make a run to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, as the season is set to begin Dec. 22.

Nicolas Batum reportedly plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after being waived by the Charlotte Hornets Sunday. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the news, noting Batum will make the deal official once he clears waivers. Batum was waived after Charlotte signed former Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $120 million deal in free agency.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that the Hornets were looking to find a team that would take on Batum's contract—worth $27 million—while also working on a sign-and-trade deal for Hayward.

Batum, who joined the Hornets in 2015 after seven years with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaged 3.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists through 22 games last season while averaging 23.0 minutes per game. 

The 31-year-old finished his career with the Hornets ranking fifth in franchise history in three-pointers (496) and seventh in assists (1,521). 

With the Clippers, Batum is likely to join Luke Kennard and Lou Williams in slotting behind Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. 

BasketSession.com, based in Batum's home country of France, was told by Batum's agent that there were six teams interested in adding him to their roster: the Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz,  Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area). 

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer had reported last week that the Hornets would stretch Batum's contract over three seasons, paying out $9 million each year. At the same time, they will be paying Hayward $30,000,000 in each of the next four seasons before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The 30-year-old is entering his 11th season in the league after three years in Boston, where he averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 52 games last season.

In Charlotte, Hayward will command the Hornets offense along while No. 3 overall draft pick LaMelo Ball. 

The outspoken LaVar Ball said it's "guaranteed" his son LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets' new point guard, will be the NBA's Rookie of the Year for the 2020-21 season.

"Teaming up with Michael Jordan and you can't get Rookie of the Year? Are you crazy?" the elder Ball told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday.

LaMelo was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Hornets, whose chairman is Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and five-time Most Valuable Player.

LaVar made the same prediction for one of his older sons, Lonzo Ball, after he was the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft. The Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons won the award and Lonzo, who now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, didn't receive a single vote.

LaMelo took a nontraditional route to the NBA, playing for BC Prienai in Lithuania and Australia's Illawarra Hawks before entering the draft.

The 6'7" point guard was impressive in limited appearances for the Hawks, averaging 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals across 12 games.

Although his size, versatility and playmaking ability should make him an instant-impact player for the Hornets, putting up the type of numbers necessary to win Rookie of the Year could be difficult on a roster with plenty of guard and wing depth.

He'll join a group already featuring Terry Rozier, Devonte' Graham, Miles Bridges, Nicolas Batum, Malik Monk and the recently signed Gordon Hayward.

That's not only a lot of competition for shots, but the presence of Rozier and Graham likely means Ball won't be running the offense full time at the outset. It won't be until the logjam is cleared in the coming years, either via trades or contracts expiring, that the No. 3 pick will begin to reach his statistical peak.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, NBA legend Michael Jordan has made a $2 million donation to Feeding America to help fight hunger in the United States. 

In a statement (h/t TMZ Sports), Jordan said the money comes from proceeds he earned from The Last Dance documentary.

"In these challenging times and in a year of unimaginable difficulty due to COVID-19, it's more important than ever to pause and give thanks," he said. "I am proud to be donating additional proceeds from The Last Dance to Feeding America and its member food banks in the Carolinas and Chicago to help feed America's hungry."

Jordan is the governor of the Charlotte Hornets. The 57-year-old has also been active in promoting and donating to charitable causes throughout his NBA career as a player and team owner. 

Prior to the NBA season restart, Jordan and the Jordan Brand announced a 10-year, $100 million donation that will be used to help "ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."

Jordan gained a controlling interest in the Hornets in 2010. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 following a storied 15-year career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. 

Fans who have been hoping to see LaVar Ball and Michael Jordan play a game of one-on-one to once and for all determine who would win are sadly going to be disappointed. 

Speaking to TMZ Sports (starts at 1:13 mark), Ball said the epic showdown "realistically" won't happen because the pair are "over 50!"

Ball created a rivalry with Jordan in May 2017 when he offered this quote to Josh Peter of USA Today: "Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one. I would just back (Jordan) in and lift him off the ground and call a foul every time he fouls me when I do a jump hook to the right or the left. He cannot stop me one-on-one."

Jordan didn't really give Ball the time of day, except when he was asked about it at a basketball camp in August 2017. 

"You got to understand the source," the Chicago Bulls icon said. "I think he played college, maybe? He averaged 2.2 points a game. Really? It doesn't deserve a response, but I'ma give it to you because you asked the question. I don't think he could beat me if I was one-legged."

Three years later, Ball and Jordan are united in their goals after the Charlotte Hornets selected LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. 

Even though the Ball-Jordan battle seems unlikely to happen, fans will always have the dream of wondering what might happen if arguably the greatest basketball in history squared off with the CEO of Big Baller Brand.   

Veteran center Bismack Biyombo will reportedly return to the Charlotte Hornets after agreeing to a new deal Sunday, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.  

Relatively speaking, the 28-year-old was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the NBA's salary-cap spike during the 2016 offseason.

While appearing in every game in 2015-16 for the Toronto Raptors, he made only 22 starts. However, a solid postseason (6.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks), coupled with the league's financial climate, helped him get a four-year, $72 million contract with the Orlando Magic.

The Magic quickly came to regret the decision as the cap leveled off the following summer, and spending $17 million annually on a mediocre center proved to be an unwise investment.

In short, that kind of money wasn't going to be sitting around for Biyombo, who spent the last two years with the Hornets.

Focusing solely on his contract obscured the value he delivered on the court for Charlotte in 2019-20. He averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks over 19.4 minutes per night. He remained limited offensively but made an impact on the boards and as a defender inside the restricted area.

ESPN.com ranked Biyombo 17th among centers in defensive real plus-minus (plus-1.96).

One of his standout performances came in a 102-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 27, when he shot 8-of-11 from the field for 19 points and collected nine rebounds.

Even in an era when traditional big men reigned supreme, Biyombo's lack of range and post moves limit his overall ceiling. According to Basketball Reference, 59.7 percent of his career shot attempts have come inside three feet or fewer.

His defense ensures he can be effective in the right role, and his somewhat smaller frame (6'8" and 255 pounds) allows him to hold his own when he's forced to guard shooters away from the basket. According to NBA.com, he held opponents to 30.7 percent on three-pointers.

Cody Zeller has one year and $15.4 million left on his current deal with Charlotte. His expiring contract could make him a trade asset for teams willing to take on short-term money or looking to strengthen their frontcourt.

For now, it looks like the Hornets are content to run things back at center with Zeller starting and Biyombo coming off the bench.

It might seem like a guaranteed four-year, $120 million contract offer from the Charlotte Hornets would be enough for an athlete to sign on the dotted line with no questions asked. Gordon Hayward, it turns out, needed a little nudge.

Before Hayward and the Hornets reportedly agreed to the massive deal, it took a call from Charlotte chairman Michael Jordan to win the small forward over.

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, Jordan called Hayward on Friday night as rumors circulated about a sign-and-trade that would have sent the Indianapolis native to the Indiana Pacers for $100 million. The call from Jordan helped close the deal and put the Butler product on a path to Charlotte.

It's not the first time the Hornets have tried to lure Hayward over.

In 2014, Jordan had the then-Utah Jazz star signed to an offer sheet worth a reported $63 million for four years. During the prior season, Hayward averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Six years and one major ankle injury later, a 30-year-old Hayward is finally on his way to Charlotte after averaging 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The forward opted out of a $34.2 million salary with the Celtics to reach free agency.

Amazingly, it paid off.

Gordon will earn an average of $30 million over each of the next four seasons rather than take a slightly larger payday for 2020-21 and test free agency ahead of his age-31 season.

And it still took a six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer to call him to complete the deal.

The combination might make Hayward the most successful free agent in the league this offseason.

Nicolas Batum will reportedly be a late addition to the free-agent pool, as the Charlotte Hornets intend to waive the veteran forward in order to make room for Gordon Hayward.

Hayward's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Hayward will sign a four-year, $120 million deal with Charlotte.  

Per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the Hornets will "use the NBA's stretch provision to spread cap implications of Batum's remaining $27 million over three seasons" in order to fit Hayward's salary. Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Batum was already receiving interest from "multiple contending teams." 

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Charlotte only had $20 million in cap space at the time Hayward's deal was agreed upon. 

Last season was a disappointment for Batum, as he seemed to fall out of favor with head coach James Borrego. The 31-year-old averaged 3.6 points in 22 games. He didn't play in any of Charlotte's final 19 games of the regular season. 

Things got so bad for Batum that he even apologized to the Hornets for not living up the contract he signed. 

"I apologize to the people here, because they put so much faith in me," he told Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer (h/t WBTV). "And it didn't go well... It didn't work out. But what do I have to do? Because I'm still here."

Batum originally signed a five-year, $120 million extension with the Hornets in July 2016. He was coming off the most productive season of his career in 2015-16, with an average of 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. 

Gordon Hayward's time with the Boston Celtics is over.

The Charlotte Hornets agreed to a deal with the forward on Saturday worth $120 million over four years, Hayward's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

This comes after Bartelstein told Wojnarowski that his 30-year-old client opted out of his $34.2 million contract option with the Celtics and became an unrestricted free agent.

Before he did that, there were trade rumors circulating involving Hayward. Ian Begley of SNY reported in October that members of the Indiana Pacers front office were interested in trading for him, while Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer (h/t RealGM) reported the Celtics offered him to the New Orleans Pelicans with the hope of landing Jrue Holiday before he was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported Charlotte is still discussing a sign-and-trade with the Celtics for Hayward.

Hayward was an All-Star in 2016-17 for the Utah Jazz when he averaged 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was and remains someone who can hit from the outside, score over smaller defenders in the lane and provide timely rebounding from the wing.

When he came to the Celtics, the expectation was he could help put the team over the Eastern Conference hump and into the NBA Finals.

Instead, he suffered a season-ending injury in his first game in 2017-18 and averaged just 11.5 points per night the following year as he worked his way back from that setback. It was his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2010-11.

Hayward was better last season and averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. The team fell short of the NBA Finals, though, and he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, not returning until Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

Alongside injury concerns with Hayward, and he turns 31 years old in March.

Still, the Hornets can at least take solace in the fact that he played well in 2019-20 as it looks to parlay this move into a postseason appearance.

Charlotte is taking steps toward being competitive in the Eastern Conference with Hayward joining No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball on the team. The front office likely has more work to do before making the Hornets a playoff team, but this is a step in the right direction. 

LaMelo Ball may not be the only notable player the Charlotte Hornets add this offseason.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the team is "expected to make a push to land Gordon Hayward in free agency." Scotto noted Hayward almost joined the Hornets in 2014 as a restricted free agent and signed an offer sheet with them, although the Utah Jazz eventually matched it.

Bringing Hayward aboard may not be as simple as just signing him.

Scotto explained Charlotte has $19.4 million in available cap space and may need to complete a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics and perhaps another team to add the Butler product. There is also the fact the Hornets will likely compete with a number of suitors, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (h/t RealGM) said he is "fully focused" on joining the Indiana Pacers.

Hayward's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday that the forward opted out of his $34.2 million contract option with the Celtics.

There are some durability concerns for whichever team signs the 30-year-old.

He suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the 2017-18 campaign and missed significant time in the 2020 NBA playoffs. Still, he averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season and connected on 38.3 percent of his triples.

It was Hayward's best performance since joining the Celtics and went a long way toward answering questions about whether he would ever return to the All-Star form he demonstrated on the Jazz.

At his best, the veteran could slide into Charlotte's lineup on the wing and take advantage of Ball's notable passing skills by hitting from the outside and slashing to the lane. He would likely be the team's go-to option in crunch time as well as it looks to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.