On Friday, Charlotte Hornets General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced that the team will be exercising options on point guard LaMelo Ball and forward PJ Washington.
Per the Hoops Rumors report, both options are slated for the 2022-23 season, which will mark Ball’s third season and Washington’s fourth. Details of the report add that Ball’s $8,623,920 salary will be locked in, also securing Washington’s $5,808,435 cap hit that year.
The 6-foot-7 guard in Ball has played like the top-3 draft pick he became, making big impressions with only one full season in the NBA.
Ball earned Rookie of the Year honors for the 2020-21 season and has helped the Charlotte Hornets get off to a decent start at 4-2 — currently fifth in the Eastern Conference.
He is averaging 17.3 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds a game. Prior to a recent two-game slump in scoring, combining for 13 points total, Ball was averaging 22.8 points per contest.
Washington was the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-7 Kentucky product has averaged 12.6 points through two seasons with the Hornets, adding 6 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game.
The forward displayed solid offensive outings last season, including a 42-point performance against the Sacramento Kings and appears to be a developing staple in the Hornets offense moving forward.
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