Charlotte Hornets sign second round pick Dwayne Bacon to three-year deal
After a strong summer league, second round pick Dwayne Bacon has inked a three-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Charlotte Hornets have signed Dwayne Bacon to a three-year deal. The contract for the second round pick includes two years guaranteed but the specifics have not been given. The team acquired Bacon in a draft-night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans after he was drafted at No. 40.
The Florida State product had a great showing during summer league and made a strong impression on the Hornets with his play. He helped lead Charlotte to a fifth place finish in Orlando where he finished third on the team in scoring behind Treveon Graham and Johnny O’Bryant. He got more comfortable as the games went on.
In five games at the Orlando Pro Summer League, Bacon averaged 15.4 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game and 1.0 assist per game. He managed to shoot 41.7% from the field, 20% from three and 100% (19-19) from the free throw line. He started slow but finished strong with 29 points and eight rebounds in the team’s final outing.
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Most were disappointed when it was announced that first round pick Malik Monk would miss the summer league with a sprained ankle but Bacon was a bright spot for the Hornets. Dwayne showed a consistent ability to score the ball. Despite a few struggles on the defensive end and with his shot selection, the rookie was impressive.
The wing player was best when getting into the paint and attacking the rim but he also shot the ball really well from midrange. While Bacon still has some holes to fill in his game before breaking into Steve Clifford’s rotation, he showed promise during the summer league. Now that he is on Charlotte’s roster, he will join the team for training camp near the end of September.
By signing Dwayne, the Hornets have now added more wing depth to their team. There is a good chance that he will spend most of the season with the Greensboro Swarm in the D-League to get consistent playing time.
Here’s a look at his 29-point outing:
The next opportunity to see Bacon play against NBA talent will be during the preseason. In five short games, he’s already made quite the name for himself.
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The Charlotte Hornets now have 11 guaranteed contracts with decisions still to be made on Briante Weber, Johnny O’Bryant and Treveon Graham. Although we only got a sample size of Dwayne Bacon’s game, it looks like the team may have gotten a steal with the 40th overall pick in the second round.