The top-three free agent signings in Charlotte Hornets history

David Wesley may not be the first name one thinks of when remembering the great Charlottes Hornets teams from around the turn of the century, but without him, those teams would not be possible.

David Wesley will always be one of the most underrated members of the Charlotte Hornets. He’ll never get the fanfare of a Glen Rice or the notoriety of a Jamal Mashburn, but through those competitive years in the late 1990s on into the years of the New Orleans Hornets, he was there as a player who, while not great, knew how to make others around him better.

Signed to the team in July of 1997, David Wesley was coming off a career year with the Boston Celtics, where he averaged 17 points and 7 dimes a game. Thankfully, Charlotte was able to snag him up and from that point, the undersized guard spent five seasons in Charlotte, putting up almost 15 points and over 5 assists per game.

He’s also one of the team’s all-time best three-point shooters, ranking 6th and 7th respectively in three-point field goals made and attempts. He still ranks 4th in team history in assists and 5th all-time in steals.

He was the second-leading scorer (13 ppg) on the 1997-1998 team that made the playoffs only to lose to their future owner in five. He also led that team in assists (6.5 apg).

He would then help lead them to three straight playoff appearances (a team record) from 1999-2002, including the 2001 playoffs where they very nearly made their first-ever Conference Semifinals. He would average 15 points and 5.5 assists per game during that span.

Of course, he wasn’t the main focal point of that team, but his mix of outside shooting, accurate passing, and tenacious defense made him the consummate teammate and one very much deserving of recognition.

He would then spend three more seasons as a Hornet in the Big Easy, where he would remain an integral piece on a team that still competed for playoff relevance, making him easily one of the top guards in Hornets’ history.

With this coming offseason being a rather odd one and the Charlotte Hornets having a lot of cash coming to them, perhaps the team could sign their next big free agent. If so, they might snap their five-year streak of missing out on the playoffs.