While the Charlotte Hornets have been linked to newly waived guard Brandon Jennings, recent reports say that they are unlikely to sign him.
Detroit Pistons‘ editor, Keith Langlois, first reported that “SVG says Brandon Jennings headed to Charlotte.” Pistons’ head coach, Stan Van Gundy, has a history with Jennings so it makes sense that he might know where he is going to sign. Those rumors linking him to the Charlotte Hornets didn’t last that long as Marc Stein of ESPN later reported that “Hearing that the Hornets, despite Stan Van Gundy’s prediction, are happy with the Briante Weber move and unlikely to pursue Brandon Jennings.”
Jennings was recently waived by the New York Knicks so that they could sign Chasson Randle. Once he clears waivers, Brandon will be a free agent and can sign with any team in the league. At this point, the Washington Wizards are major contenders to secure the 27-year old’s signature.
Charlotte’s in need of a backup point guard with Ramon Sessions out for an extended period of time with knee surgery and Brian Roberts not playing particularly well. This move could make sense for the Hornets but they also recently signed Briante Weber to a 10-day contract so the team would have to waive someone in order to complete the move for Brandon.
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The 6’1 point guard averaged 8.6 points per game, 4.9 assists per game and 2.6 rebounds per game in 58 games with the Knicks this season. He came off the bench for all but 11 games with New York and saw 24.6 minutes a game. So far this year, Jennings is shooting 38% from the field and 34% from the three-point line.
While his numbers aren’t outstanding, he could be an upgrade at backup point guard for the Hornets over players like Sessions and Roberts who have underperformed this season. In eight NBA seasons, Jennings has played for four teams including the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic and the Knicks. After being a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, Brandon elected to play overseas instead of playing in college.
He was still drafted as the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft by Milwaukee. After years of being a starter in this league, Jennings has gone to a bench/sixth man role over the last two seasons.
Next: Weber Ready for New Challenges, Hornets Future
It will be interesting to see what happens with Jennings as he searches for a new team. The Hornets and the Wizards are the only two teams that have been named so far. We’ll have to wait and see if SVG’s prediction about the point guard to Charlotte is true or if Brandon signs elsewhere.