Former University of Kansas combo guard Marcus Garrett and former Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson have signed free agent contracts with the NBA Charlotte Hornets, the team announced on Wednesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by Hornets President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson.
The Charlotte Observer reported that both players had agreed to sign Exhibit 10 contracts, which are one-year, non-guaranteed deals that could place them on the roster of the Greensboro (North Carolina) Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate.
According to hoopsrumors.com, an Exhibit 10 contract allows a player to receive bonuses worth up to $77,500 if he is released by the Hornets and then spends at least 60 days with the G League’s Swarm. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way contracts before the season opener. Charlotte has an open slot for a double pick. The player who receives the team’s final double pick will earn $560,000 during the 2024-25 campaign.
Garrett, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound Dallas native who played for KU from 2017-21, appeared in 36 games (30 starts) with the Swarm in 2023-24, averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 30.9 minutes per game.
Garrett, 25, averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in four games (including one start) with the Hornets during the NBA 2K25 Summer League in July in Las Vegas.
Garrett’s professional experience includes two seasons with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate, and 12 games with the Heat during the 2021-22 season. Garrett was named the 2019-20 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year at KU. He was part of KU’s 2018 Final Four team.
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound 24-year-old from Norfolk, Va., who played one season at K-State (2022-23), averaged 19.7 points on 53.1 percent shooting (40.4 percent from 3-point range) and 6.2 rebounds in 38 games (38 starts) last season with the Oklahoma City Blues, the Oklahoma City ThunderG League subsidiary. The Blues won the G League title.
Johnson was named first-team All-Big 12 and third-team All-America in his final college season after leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.
The Hornets also signed a goalie Caleb McConnell and center Joel Soriano on Wednesday.
