NBA News: Hornets Waive Two-Way Man Isaiah Wong

The Charlotte Hornets waived two-way player Isaiah Wong, sending him back into NBA free agency, the team announced Thursday. Isaiah Wong, Hornets, NBA

Wong, 23, appeared in 20 games with the Hornets this season, averaging 6.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 13.3 minutes per game. He also played six games in the G League.

Wong signed a two-way contract with Charlotte on Dec. 2, which included a two-year deal covering both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

The Hornets have been adjusting their roster in recent days. Over the weekend, they promoted Moussa Diabate from a two-way deal to a standard contract and signed Damion Baugh to a two-way contract on Wednesday.

Wong’s opportunities increased due to injuries to several rotation players. He played in 10 games since Jan. 22, including 16 minutes and seven points in Wednesday’s loss to Orlando.

The 6-foot-4 guard was selected by Indiana in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft after a standout career at the University of Miami. He was playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, when the Hornets signed him.

With the NBA All-Star break approaching, Charlotte has no immediate need to fill Wong’s vacated two-way spot.

Last month, Hornets coach Charles Lee spoke highly of Wong’s contributions.

“I first knew about Isaiah Wong watching the NCAA tournament and watching him hoop with Miami,” Lee told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “So I was very intrigued with the film I saw and what I heard about his growth. And I knew that we could use some help at the time, too.

“… I was very intrigued. And I would say from game one that he got an opportunity, we could see that he’s got a knack for offense but then also diving on the floor for loose balls and is kind of scraping for some offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds, and defensively, climbing up into people trying to guard. It was pretty impressive.”