Former NC State star Cat Barber will be returning to North Carolina as the Charlotte Hornets’ D-League affiliate acquired him in a trade for Aaron Harrison.
The Charlotte Hornets‘ organization continues to make mid-season moves. Their D-League affiliate in the Greensboro Swarm has reportedly traded Aaron Harrison in exchange for NC State legend Cat Barber. Harrison will now be on his way out to the Deleware 87ers.
This move was probably inevitable with what happened between Charlotte and Aaron earlier this season. After spending the past one and a half season with the Hornets, the team decided to cut ties with Harrison before his contract was fully guaranteed. He joined Greensboro but was likely looking for a new team to make his mark with and get a clean start.
As for Barber, he went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after spending three years at NC State. Cat joined the New Orleans Pelicans‘ summer league team but after appearing in two preseason games with the Philadelphia 76ers, he was released. He eventually ended up with the Deleware 87ers for the 2016-17 D-League season.
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Harrison paved his way into the league through the Hornets’ organization after originally being signed after playing for them in the 2015 summer league. He never broke into Steve Clifford’s rotation and only served as the emergency guard on a few occasions. Most of the time, he was either inactive or in the D-League.
In two season with the Hornets, Aaron played in 26 games and averaged 0.7 points per game. He also averaged 0.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game in 4.2 minutes per game. His career in Charlotte was short-lived but he was one of the team’s first projects as they were getting a D-League team.
In 21 games for the 87ers this season, Barber averaged 14.2 points per game, 3.9 assists per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game. The 6’1 point guard will add more talent to an already loaded D-League team. He will join Archie Goodwin and Xavier Munford in the Swarm’s backcourt.
Here’s a look at some of Cat’s highlights in the D-League this season:
Barber will look to make a name for himself in the D-League with Greensboro. He should feel more at home after spending his college career at NC State. The Swarm will also be looking for a boost from Cat as they continue to build a solid roster.
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It will be interesting to see Cat Barber play with the Greensboro Swarm for the remainder of the season. The Charlotte Hornets have plenty of talent to choose from on their D-League squad and their prospect pool keeps growing. More fans will probably show up to the games knowing that an NC State legend will be on the team.