
Mitch Kupchak, president of basketball operations and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets, said on Wednesday that the team had dismissed former first-round pick Kai Jones.
Jones, the Hornets’ 19th-overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Texas, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday that he had formally asked the team for a trade.
At the time, the Hornets chose not to respond to Jones’ message.
The 6-foot-11 forward/center’s absence from the Hornets’ training camp was reported last week after some strange online conduct, including a largely incomprehensible Instagram Live video and other criticism of teammates on X.
Kai Jones won’t be attending training camp for “personal reasons,” according to a statement from the Hornets. “A timetable for his comeback to the team is not yet available. The Hornets won’t make any further public comments about the topic at this time due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Jones played 67 games for Charlotte, averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds.