Charlotte Hornets Continue To Add Players From OKC Thunder Pipeline

Over the last year, several player have made the transition from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Charlotte Hornets for various reasons.

Oct 9, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Keyontae Johnson (18) during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

As if the Oklahoma City Thunder to Charlotte Hornets pipeline couldn't grow any larger, there's another player who has made the transition within the last year.

Yesterday, former Thunder Keyontae Johnson finally left the free agent market after he officially signed a deal with the Hornets. With the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein alongside new draft picks, Oklahoma City wasn't able to find a spot for the forward in its future plans.

On a No. 1-seeded Thunder competing in the playoffs, it was difficult for the 24-year-old to find any sort of role on the main roster, only receiving an average of 7.3 minutes per game. With its G-League affiliate OKC Blue, however, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 53% shooting from the field and 39% shooting beyond the arc.

Charlotte and Oklahoma City's paths have crossed quite a bit during the last year, thanks to the deadline move that sent Gordon Hayward to the Thunder. That trade brought four former players to the Hornets: Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic and Davis Bertans.

Only Mann and Micic will remain in Charlotte next season, but the addition of Johnson brings the total back up. It's unclear for now whether he will spend time in the G League at first or not, but he will certainly have a better opportunity at playing time on the main roster of a rebuilding Hornets team alongside some familiar faces.

Both Mann and Micic did see improved amounts of success in the second half of last season, each receiving an increased role in the rotation and a higher offensive workload. Mann improved from 3.8 points in nine minutes per game to 11.9 points in 31 minutes, while Micic upped his 3.3 points in 12 minutes per game to 10.8 points in 27.2 minutes.

Even though it didn't work out in Oklahoma City for Johnson, he found another opportunity that could grant him the potential to showcase his talent in a larger role. With Charlotte likely being out of playoff contention, developing young talent will be its biggest task, so he shouldn't struggle as much to see the court.

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