Hornets sign former Lakers center to 1-year deal

The Charlotte Hornets are adding to their frontcourt depth with just a few weeks to go until the 2024-25 season gets underway. On Sunday, it was reported on X (formerly Twitter) by NBA insider Shams Charnia of Stadium and The Athletic that the Hornets would be signing center Harry Giles to a one-year contract.

The move comes just as teams are preparing to begin training camp, which will begin around the league throughout the next couple of weeks.

Giles was one of the most highly touted prospects in the entire country as a high schooler in the mid-2010s, but unfortunately, injuries severely hampered his lone season as a member of the Duke Blue Devils, and continued after he was drafted into the NBA by the Sacramento Kings in 2017.

Charania noted in his X post that Giles hails from the Charlotte area and that he is expected to "compete for a roster spot with the Hornets," insinuating that his presence on the team is not a guarantee.

Meanwhile, frontcourt depth is one of the many areas where the Hornets could use some improvement, as the team doesn't have many viable options at the center position, and traded away forward PJ Washington to the Dallas Mavericks at the deadline last year.

Despite this, the Hornets enter the 2024-25 season with more optimism than they've had in quite some time due primarily to the play of Brandon Miller, who was arguably the third best rookie in the league last year and showed flashes of replicating the play of his idol, Paul George.

This may be somewhat of a prove it year for point guard LaMelo Ball, whose talent and injury concerns are equally undeniable.

In any case, the Hornets' season is officially set to get underway on the road against the Houston Rockets on December 23.