Charlotte Hornets sign Joe Chealey to 10-day deal
The Charlotte Hornets want to see what Joe Chealey can do at the highest level of basketball.
On Friday, the team announced it had signed Chealey to a 10-day contract.
Chealey, 24, has spent all of this season playing in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets' affiliate. He's started in 24 of the 34 games he's played in, averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per-game while shooting 34.6 percent from three-point range.
A product of the College of Charleston, Chealey went unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft and the Hornets signed him to their summer league team. The Hornets ultimately invited Chealey to training camp, then signed him to a two-way contract. He played in 43 games with the Swarm last season and just one with the Hornets. A 6-foot-4 guard, Chealey was ninth in the G-League in free throws made last season.
The Hornets re-signed Chealey ahead of the 2019-20 season, but wound up cutting him after training camp and signing him to a deal with the Swarm.
Perhaps the real reason why the Hornets signed Chealey is not because of skill level or potential, but so it would be compliant with NBA roster rules. After reaching buy-out agreements with Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Hornets had to add another player to their roster by Saturday to be compliant with the NBA.
Signing Chealey to a 10-day deal puts the Hornets in-line with NBA rules and allows them to have flexibility for a future roster move.
