One team’s trash is another team’s treasure. At least, that seems to be the mentality the Charlotte Hornets have when it comes to excommunicating OKC Thunder players.
Over the past calendar year, Oklahoma City has seen several shakeups within its talent pool and on-field rotation, with numerous players coming and going, all stemming from management’s efforts to improve the club’s chances of winning its first-ever championship banner.
Thanks to those moving parts, the Hornets have regularly found themselves reaping the rewards of their efforts, as they’ve signed a number of former Thunder players over the past year.
From signing former first-round talent Aleksej Pokusevski in February after he was released by the franchise to acquiring Davis Bertans, Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic at the trade deadline as part of the Gordon Hayward’s tradeCharlotte has had its fill of former Loud City residents in just six months.
Since August 20, the Eastern Conference club has added another player to its collection, Priority Sports Reports that Keyontae Johnson has agreed to terms with the Hornets.
Buzz City’s New Resident: @Keyontae! š pic.twitter.com/ywjrHauqp6
ā Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) August 20, 2024
Selected 50th overall in the 2023 NBA draft after an impressive five-year college stint and a breakout 2022-23 campaign at Kansas State, where he averaged 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 516 percent shooting and 40.5 percent shooting from deep, Johnson spent the majority of his one-year tenure with the Thunder in the development league.
In 25 games played with the OKC Blue, the 24-year-old has played a key role in coach Kameron Woods’ rotation, as he posted impressive averages of 19.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range en route to a selection for the next NBA G League game and, more importantly, an NBA G League championship.
At 6’5″ and 225 pounds, Johnson has the build of a modern two-three hybrid, and that, combined with his catch-and-shoot ability (he connected on 43 percent of his attempts in the G League), should give him a much easier path to playing time with the Hornets than he found with the Thunder.
