Report: Spurs trading Devonte Graham to Hornets, expected to be waived

Devonte Graham is headed back to Charlotte… but not for long. The former Kansas guard has just been traded and then waived, becoming a free agent.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the San Antonio Spurs are trading Graham to Charlotte along with a second-round pick, and the Hornets will then waive him, allowing the veteran guard to hit the free market ahead of the 2024-25 season. Here was Woj’s tweet containing that news:

“The San Antonio Spurs are trading guard Devonte Graham and a second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN. The Hornets will waive Graham, allowing him to become a free agent.”

The Graham deal could be a sign of more consequential chess moves to come, since the Spurs are reportedly seen as a potential wheel-greaser for any DeMar DeRozan trades. NBA insider Marc Stein reported as much just a few hours before Graham was dealt.

He tweeted:

“Sacramento continues its pursuit of DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade and San Antonio has emerged as a potential third-team facilitator, league sources say. The Kings have chased DeRozan this week and Chicago is willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade but insists on a third team in the deal to take in salary.”

Perhaps the Graham move frees up roster room and/or cap space to take on whatever they’ll need to in order to help a former star of theirs, DeRozan, land in the new home that he’d like.

Prior to the pros, Devonte Graham arrived at Kansas as a four-star recruit ranked inside the top 100 of the 2014 On3 Consensus.  He also ranked as the No. 22 point guard and No. 5 player in the state of New Hampshire, where he attended prep school.

Over four seasons with the Jayhawks, Graham played 142 games with 111 starts. In addition to averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 assists over his career, he shot 40.9 percent from the 3-point line and 78.7 percent from the free throw line. His long list of accolades included a consensus All-American selection, Big 12 Player of the Year and All-Defense honors and multiple postseason honors including Big 12 Tournament MVP.

Graham won the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year award before going No. 34 overall in the NBA Draft later that year. After overachieving with the Charlotte Hornets in the early stages of his career, he signed a 4-year contract worth $47.3 million with the New Orleans Pelicans.