Hornets waive former first-round pick Kai Jones

The Charlotte Hornets have waived former first-round pick Kai Jones, president of basketball operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak announced Wednesday.

Jones, the Hornets' 19th overall pick out of Texas in 2021, wrote Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had officially requested a trade from the organization.

The Hornets declined to comment on Jones' post at the time.

The Hornets announced last week that the 6-foot-11 forward/center would not join the team for training camp following some bizarre behavior on social media, including a mostly indecipherable video on Instagram Live and other criticism of teammates on X.

"Kai Jones will not participate in training camp due to personal reasons," the Hornets' statement read. "There is currently not a timetable for his return to the team. Out of respect for the personal nature of the situation, the Hornets will not have any additional public comment regarding the matter at this time."

Jones averaged 2.7 points and two rebounds in 67 career games with Charlotte.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.