The Charlotte Hornets have decided to keep third-year big man Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Though Jones will miss training camp due to personal reasons and there's no timetable for his potential return, Charlotte reportedly remains in “constant communication with him.”

The Hornets' choice to effectively suspend Jones comes in wake of the 22-year-old posting a video on social media that called his state of mind into question. On September 7th, Jones, sweating and slurring his speech, hosted an Instagram Live stream during which he insisted he wouldn't be traded from the Hornets and threw specific teammates under the bus.

Though he insisted he was “not on drugs or intoxicated” and just “enjoying my night,” Jones' video had already gone viral, eliciting broad speculation on his mental wellbeing. He later posted a subsequent video that also drew concern from on-lookers. Jones' antics also shed additional negative light on the Hornets, who are welcoming back alleged domestic abuser Miles Bridges in 2023-24 and drafted Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in June despite his tangential involvement in a shooting last fall that left a young mother dead on the Alabama campus.

Jones, a known project coming out of Texas, has nevertheless disappointed on the court since Charlotte took him with the No. 19 overall pick of the 2021 draft. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds off the bench last season, playing in 46 games. Jones was poised for a further diminished role in 2023-24 even before being suspended, behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards in the Hornets' center rotation while lacking the perimeter shooting ability and playmaking skill to play power forward.

Charlotte opens training camp on October 5th.