National Basketball Association

Former Charlotte Hornets' Player, P.J. Hairston, Signs With the Houston Rockets

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Former Charlotte Hornets’ guard/wing, P.J. Hairston, has found a new home as he signed a training camp deal with the Houston Rockets.

Reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and The Vertical have indicated that former Charlotte Hornets‘ player, P.J. Hairston has signed with the Houston Rockets. Woj tweeted that “Free agent PJ Hairston is joining the Houston Rockets on a training camp deal. Houston will have his D-League rights.” The former University of North Carolina standout will now get his chance to stay in the NBA.

P.J. was acquired by the Queen City team as a result of a draft day trade with the Miami Heat. After spending the first one and a half seasons of his career in Charlotte, the Hornets traded Hairston last season to the Memphis Grizzlies. He had an underwhelming career with the team but it was unclear if his time in the NBA was up after last year.

Hairston struggled during his time with the Hornets and although he was named the starter at the beginning of last season, due to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s injury, P.J. wasn’t the right man for the job. His on the court struggled coupled with his off the court issues made it a question if he would be in the league after for the 2016-17 season.

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We recently wrote an article about the possibility of P.J. being out of the NBA just a year after being Charlotte’s starting shooting guard. He had worked out with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets this offseason but neither team signed him to a deal this summer. The Houston Rockets are now taking a chance on the 6’6 wing player.

It is a low-risk-high reward move for Houston. The training camp deal probably means that his contract is not fully guaranteed which means they could easily cut ties with him before the regular season beings. If he plays well, they could sign him to an affordable contract or let him play with their D-League team next year.

The 23-year old guard/wing averaged 6.2 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game in 19.9 minute per game last season with Charlotte and Memphis. He also shot 35.5% from the field, 29% from the three-poin line, and 78.1% from the free throw line. He played in 66 total games and made 52 starts but it is unlikely that he gets a starting gig with Houston immediately.

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It will be interesting to see if Hairston plays well this preseason and if the Rockets decide to sign him for the entire year. This is likely P.J.’s last shot at staying in the NBA and making a name for himself to establish a long-term career. The safe bet is that he spends the year either on Houston’s bench or in the D-Legaue with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

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