Who will the Hornets final two-way spot go to?

Charles continued to praise Sims on both sides of the ball. Eventually, the team signed the wing for the rest of the season (granted, it was only one more game), and he became apart of the Hornets Summer League squad. It's a great story from someone who's been in the G-League for the past few years.

As said before, though, only two out of three players sign a standard contract, and it's an uphill battle for Sims.

There are 18 players under standard NBA contracts on the Hornets roster. The team is currently looking to find ways to get the roster down to the league-mandated 15 players, with names like Nick Smith Jr, Josh Green, DaQuan Jeffries, and Pat Connaughton all being discussed as potential casualties to the Hornets' roster cuts.

The NBA allows for three players to be on a two-way contract, and the Hornets currently have allotted all three of theirs to KJ Simpson, Drew Peterson, and Damion Baugh. However, with Baugh's struggles in Summer League, there is a chance Charlotte could look to make a change, and open up another two-way spot.

Jaylen Sims seemed like the logical answer to replace Baugh on the squad after the first three games of Summer League. He averaged 12.3 points, and had his hands everywhere on defense, averaging two steals. That being said, the uphill battle Sims faces is not easy. He's not the only one contending for Baugh's two-way spot.

The player that's had the biggest impact on Baugh's chances at keeping his spot? His own Summer League teammate: center PJ Hall.

While Baugh has been receiving 20+ minute nights, and has the experience with the Hornets main squad, Hall has been hovering around the 10-13 minute mark before last night's victory where he received 19 minutes. He's been stellar in his short stints, where he has averaged 8.5 points across the Hornets four games. His interior defense and energy have also been incredible for the squad, and he's been a main contributor to each of the Hornets wins.

While all of that is great, the biggest reason Hall has an advantage over Sims and Baugh? Well, his position.

The Hornets need centers. Badly. They have three centers currently rostered: Moussa Diabate, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Mason Plumlee. It's hard to envision the room being this thin going into the season, and Hall would give the Hornets some depth.

While it would make sense for the Hornets to go into training camp/preseason with both and evaluate before signing one to the two-way spot, they may not have the chance to do so.

According to a few league sources, Hall has garnered interest from "multiple" teams for a two-way spot, and teams are monitoring whether or not the Hornets decide to give him a deal. It's widely expected throughout the league that PJ receives a two-way from a team this season. Hall went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, before signing a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets.

The 23 year old makes total sense for the Hornets if they do end up bringing him in. Similar to Moussa Diabate last season, it's a high energy player that the team could develop into a solid rotational player. There is a clear pathway to minutes with the squad too, while Sims faces another uphill battle. If Diabate, Kalkbrenner, or Plumlee were to go down, the Hornets only other option to play the center position is Grant Williams, who already is undersized. Hall increases the center depth for the Buzz, and gives them insurance in case they lose a player.

What about Damion Baugh, though? Baugh is currently on a two-way deal with the Hornets, and has been spending time with the Summer League squad. He had his best performance of the Summer League last night, scoring 18 points while adding 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block. The biggest issue in regards to Baugh keeping his two-way deal is the amount of guard depth the Hornets have. It was easier for Baugh to receive minutes last season when he was in Charlotte, given the fact that LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann were out nearly the entire season. However, now both are healthy, and Spencer Dinwiddie/Collin Sexton are in the mix.

It's likely the two-way spot ends up going to Hall. However, it remains to be seen what the Hornets will do, and when they will do it.

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