Despite not receiving much playing time with the Charlotte Hornets, Briante Weber should be signed long-term once his second 10-day deal is up.
Briante Weber has only played a handful of minutes for the Charlotte Hornets during his short stint with the team but they should look to commit long-term to the point guard prospect. He is currently on his second 10-day contract with the Hornets and once it expires on March 19th, Rich Cho and company will be forced to either sign Weber for the remainder of the season or let him go.
Letting Briante walk could be a big mistake. Even though he hasn’t gotten meaningful minutes under Steve Clifford, the 24-year old is still one of the brightest prospects on the current roster. That was evident earlier this season as he was the top-ranked player in the D-League prior to being called up.
Most players on a 10-day deal that get signed for the rest of the season usually get a two-year deal with the second year partially guaranteed. That wouldn’t necessarily be that big of a commitment for the Hornets. It would also give them a chance to get an extended look at Weber heading into next season.
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Although Briante might not be an impact player with the team this year, he could help them down the road. He could be with Charlotte throughout the summer (maybe even play in the summer league), compete for a spot during training camp and even play in some preseason games before the team would have to make a final decision to keep him on the 15-man roster for next season or cut his partially guaranteed contract.
At the very least, Weber’s worth the extended look. He has impressed during his time in the D-League and the Hornets aren’t going to find a more complete backup point guard prospect unless they use a high draft pick on one or pay big money for one in free agency. Both of those are not likely so sticking with the undrafted player out of VCU is Charlotte’s best bet.
It’s clear that both Ramon Sessions and Brian Roberts aren’t the answer at backup point guard going forward. Even if the Hornets choose to sign a quality backup to Kemba Walker in the offseason, they could still keep Weber in a third string/emergency role.
Charlotte doesn’t have much to lose by signing Briante long-term besides a few thousand dollars if they do indeed end up cutting him. By keeping him around, they have so much more to gain if he turns out to be the type of player that he was in the D-League.
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So if the Hornets don’t like what they see from Weber this summer, they don’t have to keep him on the team’s roster for next season. But they should at least keep their options open and give themselves the opportunity to keep him around longer than two 10-day contracts because Briante looks like he could be a productive player if given the chance.