With Jalen McDaniels still on the Charlotte Hornets‘ roster as of August 1st, his $1.9 million salary for the 2022-2023 season has become fully guaranteed.
Jalen McDaniels' contract with the Charlotte Hornets becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived today.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 1, 2022
The contract guarantee became a formality once the Hornets exercised their team option on McDaniels earlier this offseason. McDaniels is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason unless he is signed to a contract extension before then.
While McDaniels was a fringe rotation player last season, the projected absence of Miles Bridges leaves a possibility of him getting extended run this season. With PJ Washington likely becoming the full-time starting power forward, the Hornets would be well-served to have McDaniels become a consistent bench contributor for their frontcourt.
The fourth-year San Diego State product enjoyed a solid season in 2021-2022, posting his career highs in games played, field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentage. Unfortunately, his season was curtailed by an ankle injury that he suffered on January 21st in a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before his injury, McDaniels had been averaging 6.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18 minutes per night while shooting 49.5% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. After his return to action on March 8th, he averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 13 minutes per night while shooting 45.6% from the field.
McDaniels’ contract represents the final contract guarantee date for the Hornets this offseason.