The Charlotte Hornets have signed guard Theo Maleden to a two-way contract. The move comes three days after he was waived by the Houston Rockets.
Guard Bryce McGowens occupies the other two-way spot. A week ago, the Hornets signed forward Xavier Sneed to an Exhibit 10 contract. And striker Isaias Wali has been dropped by the team.
A few NBA betting sites are giving the Hornets the 10th-lowest odds to win the championship in 2023. But a handful of bettors are expecting Charlotte to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
It appears that both Moe Harkless and Theo Maledon have cleared waivers and are now unrestricted free agents.
Houston has dead money for Harkless ($4,564,980) and Maledon ($1,900,000) this season.
The Rockets lead the NBA with more than $52 million in dead money this season.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 13, 2022
Last month, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Maledo, Derrick Favors, Maurice Harkless, Ty Jerome and two 2026 second-round draft picks to the Houston Rockets for Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marcus Chriss and David Nwaba.
Maledon was selected 34th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020 NBA Draft.
He was then traded to the Thunder, though, along with Al Horford, Vasilije Mikic and a 2025 first-round draft pick for Terrance Ferguson, Danny Green and Vincent Poirier.
The Hornets will sign free agent guard Theo Maledo to a two-way contract
In his rookie 2020-21 season with the Thunder, in 65 games, the guard averaged 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He also shot 36.8% from the field and 33.5% from 3-point range.
In 51 games last season, Maledon averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 boards and 2.2 assists. He shot 37.5% from the floor and 29.3% from downtown. According to statistics, the guard returned in the second season.
As the team’s NBA G League affiliate with the Oklahoma City Blue, the guard averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in eight games.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, Maledon will spend time with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate.
From 2017 to 2020, he played with ASVEL, a French LNB Pro A professional basketball club. During the 2018-19 season, Maledon averaged an LNB Pro A-high 7.4 points per game.
The following season, the keeper had a career-high scoring average in the EuroLeague. He also recorded 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest in 22 games.
Additionally, he helped ASVEL become LNB Pro A champions and win the French Cup in 2019. Maledon won the LNB Pro A Young Player of the Year and was named French Cup Final MVP.
Then, in the 2019-20 season, Maledon averaged 6.5 points, 2 boards and 1.9 assists in 20 games. Not to mention he shot 39% from the field.
Given his contract with the Hornets, this signing makes sense. Theo Maledon fills the second two-way spot on the roster. So the team is ready for the 2022-23 season.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Hornets open the season at the San Antonio Spurs.
