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Charlotte Hornets add back court depth in post-NBA trade deadline move

Elfrid Payton, you are a Charlotte Hornet.

Matt Alquiza

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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Jeff Peterson, the Charlotte Hornets' President of Basketball Operations, took no time off following Thursday's busy NBA trade deadline. Less than 24 hours after the 3 P.M. deadline buzzer sounded, Peterson made yet another move to fill the void that was created by trading Vasilije Micic to the Phoenix Suns.

On Friday afternoon, the Hornets announced the signing of veteran point guard Elfrid Payton to a 10-day contract.

Payton, 30, was drafted in the first round the 2014 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. The veteran facilitator has spent time with the Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, and the New Orleans Pelicans during his nine-year NBA career. In his most recent NBA tenure, an autumn cup of coffee with New Orleans, Payton dished 21 assists in a single game on November 25th against the Indiana Pacers.

The veteran point guard holds career averages of 10.0 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game.

What does Payton bring to the Hornets?

Payton is a lengthy primary ball handler that thrives as a facilitator. His three-point shooting leaves much to be desired (Payton is a 27.8% shooter for his career) but Payton uses his size and smarts, to create advantages for himself and his teammates on offense. He can both run the Hornets' offense as a primary creator alongside LaMelo Ball, allowing Charlotte's star guard to operate off the ball, or run the second unit when LaMelo sits.

Like a handful of Peterson and Lee's recent additions (Josh Green, Josh Okogie, KJ Simpson) Payton is a solid defender who can guard multiple positions in the back court.

The newest Charlotte Hornet was at the facility this morning, and LaMelo Ball was asked about the latest addition to his back court. "He definitely competes. I've been seeing E for a minute, so just love that he competes and everything like that, so yeah, happy to have him too."

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Matt Alquiza
MATT ALQUIZA

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