The Charlotte Hornets released Reggie Jackson after acquiring him in a deal with the Denver Nuggets earlier this offseason. The trade was a very clear dump on the side of Denver.
Jackson was waived by Charlotte, clearing the way for him to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, who he will join in hopes of helping Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George pursue a championship.
But after the move was made, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Jackson gave up roughly $3.3 million of his owed $5.25 million in his buyout with the Hornets.
As detailed by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, Jackson giving up that salary means that there will only be $1,946,229 of dead money on the Hornets’ books, rather than the full amount of Jackson’s salary.
While this doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, it will give the Hornets a bit more flexibility beneath the NBA luxury tax line, though they aren’t very close to it anyway.
Jackson was waived by the Hornets for the second time in just over two years. Last time around, they traded Mason Plumlee to the LA Clippers for him, only to waive him and have him join the Nuggets afterward.
The Nuggets clearly wanted to clear up some room on their books this time around, and they made up for it by bringing in Dario Saric and Russell Westbrook in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Hornets are focused on their youth movement and developing the host of young players on their roster, including LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, and rookie Tidjane Salaun.
Jackson could have been a nice veteran to have around in Charlotte, but the Hornets already have a couple of older guys who will be super helpful next year. Seth Curry and Taj Gibson are great mentors to have around, and that’s without even mentioning Kemba Walker, who will be on the coaching staff.
Now, Jackson will get to play for a contender, which seems to be what he wants to do, and the Hornets will have some extra money to play around with in trades. Or at least some extra flexibility.