Hornets to sign veteran big man

The Hornets intend to sign veteran big man Taj Gibson to a one-year, $3.3M contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Based on the reported terms, Gibson will receive the veteran’s minimum for a player with 10+ years of experience, while Charlotte will carry a $2,087,519 cap hit.

Gibson, the 26th pick of the 2009 draft, has spent the past 15 seasons in the NBA. He opened his career with a long stint with Chicago before playing for Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York (twice), Washington, and Detroit. He finished the 2023-24 season with the Pistons.

Gibson, 39, is no longer a top-tier reserve or a starter like he was in his prime, but he’s still highly valued for his locker-room presence, professionalism and leadership. Charlotte has a new front office led by head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and a new head coach in Charles Lee. The team has repeatedly mentioned work ethic as a point of emphasis this offseason, which is something Gibson is known for.

The 6-foot-9 forward/center holds career averages of 8.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 965 regular season games, including 450 starts (23.5 MPG).