After being out of the NBA for more than four years, RJ Hunter, a first-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2015, has reportedly reached an agreement with the Charlotte Hornets, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer confirmed that the agreement is for a single year and is not guaranteed.
The announcement was announced shortly after it was announced that the Eastern Conference team had signed former New York Knick Frank Ntilikina. Following the report on Hunter, the Hornets currently have 14 players under contract.
The native of Ohio spent two spells in Boston, participating in a total of 43 games while averaging just 3.1 points on less than 32% shooting from beyond the arc for the Celts during the regular season. His most notable performance came in the 2015 NBA Summer League, when he led Boston over five games with 15.6 points and over three rebounds while playing 24.4 minutes per game.
His final NBA game was with the Boston Celtics in the season finale against the Washington Wizards, where he scored 17 points in a victory. Hunter participated in 30 games for the Boston organization’s G-League affiliate up in Maine in addition to his time spent there at the NBA level.
Free agent guard R.J. Hunter has reached an agreement with the Charlotte Hornets, his agent Daniel Hazan of @hazansportsmgmt tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 5, 2023
The green and white gambled on the Georgia State guard with the 28th overall choice after a standout season and a remarkable March in which his team defeated No. 3 Baylor. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year entered the league in Terry Rozier’s first season.
In actuality, on July 27, 2015, the two signed their respective rookie contracts. The two will suit up for an NBA team not called the Boston Celtics years later, but in quite different ways. Hunter ruptured his left patellar tendon while competing for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League in Australia, and has been recovering from the injury since January 2022.
Former Boston Celtics guard hopes to make the most of this opportunity with Charlotte
Due to the fact that this contract is reportedly not guaranteed, the Hornets are merely taking a chance on a player in the hopes that he would succeed and make the team. His college shooting prowess was not transferred into a position on one of the 30 teams, and he initially struggled to adapt his game to the NBA level.
It appears that he might be spending more time with the Greensboro Swarm, the team’s G-League club. In either case, it is encouraging to see Hunter rejoin an NBA team. It has to be viewed as a perplexing signing by a team that hasn’t appeared in the postseason since the 2015–2016 season due to his age of 29 and a generally mediocre career abroad.