A small-market franchise with little free-agent appeal has no choice but to hit with its draft picks. Although the Charlotte Hornets selected promising building blocks in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, they misfired on Kai Jones.

The No. 19 overall pick in 2021 made news during the offseason for what many deemed to be bizarre social media activity. He requested a trade on Oct. 9 but was quickly waived a couple days later, bringing a wild end to this unfortunate saga. Although the Hornets trudged ahead without Jones, may questions were left unanswered.

Now, he is trying to fill in some of the blanks by sharing his side of the story. Jones explained that the organization was not only concerned with his posts but also his sleeping habits. The 22-year-old revealed that his great grandmother had recently passed away during that time, so he was trying work through some things mentally. Charlotte wanted him to talk to a professional.

Kai Jones opens up on how things ended with Hornets

“{Hornets} were like ‘Man Kai, we told you to get right, we want you to see a therapist,'” Jones told the Vizion Podcast, via Sports Illustrated's James Plowright. “This time I'm stubborn, I'm like ‘Bro, I do not want to see a therapist, I just want to meditate and clear my head to figure it out on my own, you know use my intuition to figure out my own issues.' They were like ‘No, you gotta see a therapist'… I end up going right, I feel like the therapy is not helping.”

When he resisted further therapy, Kai Jones says that the team would not allow him to attend training camp. Soon after, the trade request was made. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak apparently had a different idea in mind, however.

“We feel like you don't have any trade value,” Kupchak told the big man, according to Jones himself. Based on the young athlete's minimal production (averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 career games) and his social media activity, one can understand the hesitation by the rest of the league.

Although Jones remains a free agent, he is determined to make a comeback. He even admitted to trying out for an NBA team after being waived by the Hornets but did not disclose its identity.