Hornets' 2021 lottery pick ends up as trade casualty

The Charlotte Hornets have been doing plenty of roster revamping as of late. Prior to the February 8 deadline, the team made multiple trades, including last-minute deals involving PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward. With five new players coming in from those two transactions alone, the Hornets need to let go of some names. And right now, Charlotte has announced its first cut: James Bouknight. (per Shams Charania)

The Charlotte Hornets are waiving 2021 lottery pick James Bouknight, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2024

Selected 11th overall in the 2021 NBA draft, Bouknight was expected by many to make a significant impact after two fruitful years with UConn. In his second collegiate season, the guard averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. His draft stock further rose after a 40-point outing against Creighton back in December 2020.

Fast forward to the present and the Hornets' lottery pick didn't live up to expectations. Throughout his career, Bouknight only appeared in 79 games for Charlotte. This season, the guard averaged 3.6 points and 0.6 rebounds per game before being waived.

James Bouknight's years with the Hornets

In addition, the past years had shown signs that Bouknight's career with the Hornets would be short-lived. During the start of the 2022-23 season, Bouknight found an opportunity to prove himself. With the Hornets' roster full of injuries, the team opted to give the guard significant playing time off the bench. In 17 straight games, however, Bouknight averaged just 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists a contest.

Furthermore, other issues such as the heated sideline confrontation with then-head coach James Borrego and his DWI charge had already dampened Bouknight's tenure with the Hornets.

Still, in the past, there have been many instances of players poorly in certain teams and shining in others. Maybe James Bouknight just needs a change of scenery in order to blossom and perform like he did in college. Regardless, for the guard to get a shot at redemption, he'll have to wait for a team to take a chance on him first.