Hornets waive Theo Maledon, sign Nathan Mensah to two-way deal

Theo Maledon’s time with the Charlotte hornets has come to an end. The team has decided to waive the fourth-year guard 13 games into the 2023-24 season. 

Maledon was not much of an impact player for the Hornets, averaging 4.2 points and 2.2 assists in 15.4 minutes per game this season.  With his lack of production and the Hornets needing someone to step up off the bench, waiving Maledon was a logical move.

The issue when it comes to Maledon is that he really has not improved much as a player. In fact, his production has been in a steep decline since his rookie season, and that is a major problem. If Maledon was able to be a somewhat consistent threat from deep things would be different but it is hard to justify continuing to roster someone making just 16.7% of their three-point attempts this season. 

Taking Maledon’s spot in a corresponding move is 25-year-old center Nathan Mensah. An undrafted rookie out of San Diego State, Mensah has been a member of the Greensboro Swarm after spending the summer league with the Hornets. Mensah agreed to a two-way deal with Charlotte following the team’s decision to move on from Maledon. 

Overall, these moves are of little consequence in Charlotte, as Maledon is not a part of their future and it is unlikely for Mensah to have anything resembling an impact role for the Hornets. However, given the injury to second-year big man Mark Williams that has kept him out of play recently, this could be an insurance policy and a way to help out down low in his absence. 

Expect more moves like this with the Hornets continuing to fall further and further back in the standings. When Charlotte inevitably decides to come to their senses and trade away some veterans, the Hornets could continue to take fliers on players in a lottery ticket-esque addition hoping to find an overlooked player they can add to their roster and hopefully help out down the line.