Before signing Ray McCallum to a 10-day contract, the Charlotte Hornets reportedly offered the same deal to Briante Weber.
According to Ira Winderman (and Weber himself), the top D-League prospect had 10-day contract offers from the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, and the Golden State Warriors. Briante ended up choosing the Warriors over the Hornets and the Heat. The point guard was highly sought after because of his stellar play with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Weber spoke to the media about his decision during a Golden State practice. He said that “I had Charlotte and Miami. Charlotte has three point guards. Miami obviously has 17 guards period.” While that is true about the Hornets’ roster, Briante had the chance to be the backup point guard for them if he would’ve signed because Ramon Sessions is out for the foreseeable future with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
That means only Kemba Walker and Brian Roberts would’ve been on the roster. Weber would’ve had an opportunity with Charlotte but he decided to go with one of the best teams in the NBA. Fair play to him because the Warriors also have an open point guard spot behind Stephen Curry and they also released Anderson Varejao just to sign him.
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After missing out on Weber, the Hornets instead signed Ray McCallum from the D-League to a 10-day contract. McCallum may have been the second option but he is just as talented as Webber. Both players were ranked #1 (Briante) and #2 (Ray) in the NBA Developmental League’s prospect rankings prior to being signed.
In 31 D-League games this season, Weber averaged 16.5 points per game, 7.4 assists per game, and 7.5 rebounds per game. In 36.8 minutes per game, the 24-year old shot 45.6% from the field and 35.9% from the three-point line. The 6’2 point guard recorded 11 double-doubles and five triple-doubles in the D-League this year. he was having a very productive season with Sioux Falls, Weber doesn’t have
Although he was having a very productive season with Sioux Falls, Weber doesn’t have a lot of NBA experience as he has only played in seven career games with the Memphis Grizzles and Miami. His progress in the NBA was largely hindered by a serious knee injury (torn ACL and MCL) during his senior year in college at VCU. Briante went undrafted but has built a name for himself in the D-league.
It speaks volumes that Weber had offers from multiple NBA teams. Charlotte may have missed out on THE top D-League prospect but they still got a quality player in Ray McCallum who was another top player.
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So while it can be said that the Charlotte Hornets missed out on Weber, many players probably would’ve chosen the Warriors. Still, Steve Clifford’s side got a talented prospect in McCallum to add to their roster. It will be interesting to see not only how Ray player but also Briante over the course of their 10-day contracts. (Possibly longer if they are signed to a second 10-day deal or signed for the remainder of the season.)