Jeremy Lamb and Charlotte Hornets close to contract extension
By Josh Wilson
Jeremy Lamb and the Charlotte Hornets are closing in on a contract extension to give Lamb over $20 million over the course of three years.
After spending the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, swing-man Jeremy Lamb was moved to the Charlotte Hornets this summer in a trade. Lamb was moved to and from the D-League a lot in his time with the Thunder, and failed to get many minutes at all. As a result, his stats were down, never averaging more than 8.5 points per game or 1.5 assists in the NBA. The most minutes he played in a single season was 19.7 in the 2013-14 season.
For the Hornets, so far this season he has been more of an asset. Although he’s still averaging just 1.5 assists, he’s scored 10.0 points per game in the first two games. He’s quickly become a fan favorite, and the Hornets have found him to be good enough to give him a decent contract extension.
Per @ESPNSteinLine Hornets and Jeremy Lamb close to a 3-year, $21 million contract extension. Deadline for such a deal is midnight.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) November 2, 2015
According to Rick Bonnell, Lamb is going to be slated to get $21 million over the course of three years, which is much higher than the $3 million he is making this season, or the $2 million a year he made when in Oklahoma City.
The Hornets, as Bonnell points out, only had until midnight to complete this deal and clearly are looking to jump on the opportunity to keep Lamb around. Having him alongside Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker could be a trio that is able to lead the Hornets to wins for years to come. The Hornets were battling for the final playoff spot last year in the Eastern Conference.
Lamb is continuing to grow as he’s just in his fourth season in the league, and the Hornets have solidified a spot for him on their roster in a prime time for him to explode with talent.