Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Hornets expressing interest in Jodie Meeks

It appears that the Charlotte Hornets may be interested in signing 10-year veteran and unrestricted free agent Jodie Meeks to a contract.

It’s been a quiet free agency period for the Charlotte Hornets, and with the 20-man training camp roster nearly complete, don’t expect anything major to happen in terms of roster personnel. However, they may be looking to add a veteran presence, and they have reportedly expressed interest in one particular free agent.

According to Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops, the Hornets, along with the Clippers, are interested in signing Jodie Meeks. Meeks is coming off a championship with the Raptors, but has yet to find his next stop in the NBA. He’s played 10 years in the NBA and has earned the reputation of being a team player that can hit from the outside.

If Meeks were deciding between the Hornets and Clippers, the differences are clear. One team, Los Angeles, is competing for a championship and won’t offer a lot of playing time, while the other team, Charlotte, is rebuilding and could use another veteran presence both on and off the court.

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Meeks is now 31 years old, and he’s not the player he used to be. However, he can still be a serviceable veteran coming off the bench. He joined Toronto late into last season and averaged 6.4 points in eight games while shooting 44 percent from deep. He also managed to appear in 14 games during Toronto’s championship run in the playoffs.

During his career, Meeks has had stops with the Bucks, 76ers, Lakers, Pistons, Magic, Wizards and Raptors. He’s had a lot of success, but his best individual season was with the Lakers in 2014. He averaged 15.7 points that season and even had a memorable 42 point game against the Thunder.

It should also be noted that Mitch Kupchak, who is the General Manager of the Hornets and former General Manager of the Lakers, signed Meeks to a contract when he was in Los Angeles. He believed that Meeks would be a valuable piece to a team looking to make some serious noise in the Western Conference after adding Dwight Howard via trade.

In the end, that team didn’t work out, but Meeks was one positive and his stint in Los Angeles really solidified him as a legit NBA talent.

I’m not sure if Meeks is a regular rotation player at this point in his career, but I do think he’s got some left in the tank. He would help the Hornets more off the court and in the locker room rather than on the court. Young rebuilding teams need leaders and Meeks could emerge as a beloved teammate.

The Hornets currently have 15 players under contract, and one player, Robert Franks, on a two-way contract. They are expected to sign second round pick Jalen McDaniels, so that would boost the training camp roster up to 17. It’s unclear if Meeks would get a fully guaranteed deal from Charlotte, so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

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We are getting closer and closer to the 2019-20 season, and the Charlotte Hornets are nearly done with their off-season moves. Meeks would be an interesting addition to a team that will likely struggle mightily next season