Just one day after agreeing to a deal with a former first-round pick of the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Hornets are again signing a former first-rounder to a free-agent contract. Former Boston Celtics first-round selection R.J. Hunter is now Charlotte bound as he has agreed to terms with the Hornets according to reports.
Free agent guard R.J. Hunter has reached an agreement with the Charlotte Hornets, his agent Daniel Hazan of @hazansportsmgmt tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 5, 2023
Even though he was the 28th overall pick in the 2015 draft by Boston, his time in a Celtics uniform did not last long. R.J. Hunter appeared in just 36 games for the Celtics as a rookie, averaging 2.7 points on 36.7% from the field in his very limited time on the floor (8.8 minutes per game). It was more than clear that the Celtics did not view Hunter as a part of their future. While Hunter did move on to other teams, his fortunes did not improve.
From 2016 to 2019, R.J. Hunter appeared in only nine NBA games. Three with Chicago, five with Houston (including his first and only start), and just one game back in Boston during the 2018-19 season. His return to Boston was the final NBA appearance for Hunter as he has spent most of his time since then overseas, outside of a brief stint with the College Park Skyhawks, the G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks. Hunter’s overseas stints were with Turk Telekom of the Turkish Basketball Super League (2019-20), Galatasaray of the same Turkish league (2020-21), and Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League ( 2021-22). A torn left patellar tendon ended his time in Sydney.
There is very little chance that R.J. Hunter is with the Hornets for long. Charlotte has other, more exciting, more promising, and perhaps most importantly, younger options than the Akron, Ohio native. This signing seems to be rooted in the direction of taking a flier and/or as an insurance policy should one be needed, albeit a rather unexciting one.