Charlotte Hornets Part Ways with Recent Draft Pick Following Trade Deadline

Jeff Peterson, the Charlotte Hornets' President of Basketball Operations, has been a very busy man over the past handful of days. He completed trades with the Chicago Bulls/Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, and Boston Celtics, which saw them acquire Coby White, Xavier Tillman Sr., Malakai Branham, and a couple of second-round picks.

Now that the trade deadline is behind us, Peterson is turning his attention to the bottom of the roster, looking for ways to improve. This afternoon, the team announced that they have waived guard KJ Simpson and have signed forward Tosan Evbuomwan to a two-way contract.

Dec 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kj Simpson (25) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Simpson was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a strong junior year at Colorado, where he averaged 19.7 points per game and shot an absurd 43% from downtown. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Simpson because of his size, and it didn't help that the Hornets stockpiled a ton of talent in the backcourt in recent years.

Last summer, in addition to taking Kon Knueppel in the fourth round, they drafted Sion James, who quickly leapfrogged Simpson and has become a rock-solid defender off the bench for Charles Lee. In 50 career games (17 starts) with the Hornets, Simpson averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Tosan Evbuomwan (TOW-sahn eh-WOAH-muh, for those of you wondering) recently played for the Westchester Celtics and Maine Celtics. The 6-foot-8, 217-pound forward is averaging 18.8 points, six rebounds, and 4.5 assists in the G League while shooting 43% from the floor and 29% from three. In a recent game against the Hornets' G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, Evbuomwan registered 34 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds, shooting 10/20 from the field.

The former Princeton grad does come to Charlotte with some NBA experience, having played in 50 career games. He made eight starts for the Detroit Pistons in 2023-24 and has also spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks. In the league, he's averaged 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.

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