Jones was officially waived by the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, just days after he publicly asked to be traded out of the team after a rough few weeks.
The Hornets’ center, who was picked in the first round of the draft, had been away from the team this fall for “personal reasons.” Jones had been posting and doing things on social media that seemed odd and worrying for a few weeks before he quit.
The 22-year-old went on Instagram Live last month and was sweating and acting strangely. A few days later, he started writing on X about how he thought he was a better player than LaMelo Ball of the Hornets and Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in the draft, among other things. At one point, he made fun of other players, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, who owns a small part of the Hornets, and others. His posts on X have also continued.
Reports say that Jones’s health was being checked by people in the Hornets group when he first took a step back. Finally, earlier this week, Jones wrote on X that he had “officially requested to be traded” from the Hornets.
Jones scored 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while coming off the bench 12 minutes a game. Following a trade with the New York Knicks on draft day in 2021, the Hornets picked him with the 19th overall pick, coming from Texas.
Last season was the first one with head coach Steve Clifford. The Hornets went 27-55 and missed the playoffs for the seventh year. The season starts on October 25 when they play the Atlanta Hawks.
Even though no one knows what’s happening with Jones, he is no longer in Charlotte. We will have to wait and see if another team in the league gives him a chance.
