After the Pelicans waived Antonio Reeves on July 3rd, it was only a matter of time before some team snatched up the former Kentucky guard who was coming off a strong rookie season. And while it took longer than some of us expected, Reeves officially has a new home.
ESPN's Shams Charania has reported that the Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal.
This news is exciting and disappointing at the same time. It's exciting, as many other Pelicans fans, myself included, are thrilled to see Reeves get a second chance on an NBA team after being waived by New Orleans earlier this month.
Disappointing because the Pelicans' front office should have never waived Reeves. Right now he ought to be gearing up for his sophomore season in the Big Easy, after what was a rather impressive rookie year. Last season, he averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, while shooting an efficient 45.6% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range in his 44 games for the Pelicans.
Bringing in Reeves shows how much the Hornets' President of Basketball Operations, Jeff Peterson, is on the ball. The Reeves signing proves that despite Charlotte winning the NBA's summer league, Peterson had his eyes on other non-Hornets players during his time in Vegas.
Reeves has a chance to make the Pelicans look like fools
During the second half of the Pelicans' 2024-25 season, Reeves gained an expanded role and flourished. In the final seven games of the season, he averaged 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. During this time, we got to see that Reeves was way more than just a 3-and-D wing.
The 24-year-old showed flashes as a playmaker and the ability to initiate the offense as a secondary ball handler. In his increased minutes, he also gave us a better glimpse of his incredibly high basketball IQ as Reeves was making reads that the defense and even sometimes his own teammates weren't ready for.
Despite being waived, he still played for the Pelicans during summer league and continued to show promise as a connective piece. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.
While in Vegas, he had one game against the Los Angeles Lakers that stood out. In the loss, Reeves scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had three steals. We often see guys have performances where it's clear they are too good for summer league. This was one of those games.
There's nothing more dangerous than a player playing with a chip on his shoulder, and that's what Reeves is going to be next season for the Hornets. The young wing is going to want to prove that the entire Pelicans organization gave up on him way too quickly.