Charlotte Hornets Waive Kai Jones Following Trade Request

The Charlotte Hornets have waived center Kai Jones, according to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Jones announced earlier this week on X (formerly Twitter) that he requested a trade.

The former first-round pick is entering his third year in the NBA. Last season, he averaged 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

Charlotte waiving Jones comes after a month-long saga between the center and the franchise. In September, Jones posted multiple comments on Instagram and X implying he was better than Hornets teammates Mark Williams, Nick Richards, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball.

According to a Sept. 26 report from the Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler, Jones's comments were worrisome to members of the franchise, and he had not been participating in the team's optional preseason workouts.

Just a few days later on Sept. 30, Charlotte announced that Jones would miss training camp for "personal reasons." There was no timeline given for his return to the team.

Jones has appeared in 67 games for the Hornets the past two seasons. During that time period, he has also played in 38 games for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte's G-League affiliate.