Sometimes an NBA player who seems like they deserve a standard contract doesn’t receive one. Instead, they agree on a two-way contract, spend the year in the G League, or sign overseas. One of those players is Antonio Reeves, who signed with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-way deal on Wednesday. On a subpar shooting squad though, Reeves has the opportunity to show he belongs with the NBA team.
Hornets New Two-Way Player Easily Could Find Way Into Rotation
Antonio Reeves Joins Hornets On Two-Way Contract
As first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, Reeves is heading to the Hornets. Since Charlotte had each of the three two-way spots occupied, someone needed to be waived. As per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, that player is guard Damion Baugh.
The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2025
The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype. Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 23, 2025
Standing at 6-foot-5, Reeves was selected in the second round (47th overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft. The shooting guard spent his rookie season playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 2024-25, Reeves appeared in 44 games (six starts). Playing 15 minutes per contest, he posted averages of 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. The 24-year-old shot 45.6% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc, and 80% from the free-throw line.
Shooting well above average from three-point territory can’t be thrown away as just occurring over a somewhat small sample size (129 attempts). As a fifth-year senior at Kentucky in 2023-24, Reeves connected on 44.7% of his three-point tries.
Instead of letting his contract become fully guaranteed for 2025-26, the Pelicans waived Reeves in early July.
Team Was Inaccurate Shooting From Outside Last Season
The Hornets were certainly not a good outside shooting team last season. They were 28th in three-point percentage. That is despite Seth Curry leading the league in three-point accuracy with Charlotte in 2024-25 (currently remains a free agent).
Now, the Hornets have a lot of individuals on their roster that are backcourt players. Their projected starting backcourt of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are likely their two best players. This offseason, they traded for Collin Sexton, signed Spencer Dinwiddie, and re-signed Tre Mann.
That’s five players, but don’t expect it to be five all season ahead of Reeves. Ball’s injury history is well-documented. The soon-to-be 24-year-old has appeared in just 105 of a possible 246 games for Charlotte over the last three seasons.
Sexton was acquired with one year remaining on his current deal. Dinwiddie was signed for just one year. If the Hornets aren’t in contention, which most expect to be the case, they potentially could be dealt away during the season.
Even if Dinwiddie remains with the team all year, he is 32 years old. Charlotte could pivot to wanting to see their younger pieces more later in the season. That could include Reeves.
Entering his second season, Reeves is likely disappointed that he was unable to garner a standard deal. Don’t be surprised if that two-way contract is converted to a standard one later in the upcoming season.
Photo credit: © David Yeazell-Imagn Images
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