Charlotte Hornets waive point guard Briante Weber for 1.5 million reasons

The Charlotte Hornets on Friday waived point guard Briante Weber, before an Aug. 1 team option would have paid him about $1.5 million next season.

Weber, 24, played 13 games for the Hornets late last season, averaging 3.8 points, 1.2 assists and about 13 minutes per game. He started for the Hornets’ summer-league team in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month. However, it seemed clear he was not in the Hornets’ plans when the team recently held a large-group workout for point guards that included veterans Norris Cole and Donald Sloan.

General manager Rich Cho and coach Steve Clifford have said the team wants to sign a third point guard behind starter Kemba Walker and recently-signed backup Michael Carter-Williams. That player would likely have to sign for the veteran minimum (which fluctuates from player to player, based on seasons of experience) because the Hornets are inching toward the luxury-tax threshold of about $119 million for next season.

Weber, who played college basketball at Virginia Commonwealth, is a strong defender, but wasn’t particularly effective in Orlando finding easy shots for teammates off the dribble.

Clifford prioritizes having three dependable options at point guard, since it’s such a specialized position. The Hornets chose not to exercise a team option of about $6.3 million to retain Ramon Sessions next season. Sessions is reportedly in talks to sign with the New York Knicks.

The Hornets’ third point guard last season, Brian Roberts, has reportedly signed to play in Greece next season.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets waive point guard Briante Weber for 1.5 million reasons."