Hornets to sign Javin DeLaurier, Kahlil Whitney, and Keandre Cook and to Exhibit 10 contracts

Update: Javin DeLaurier will also be joining the team on an Exhibit 10 contract

The Charlotte Hornets will sign former Kentucky wing Kahlil Whitney to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Adam Zagoria and his sources. They will sign Keandre Cook to the same type of deal, according to Bryan Kalbrosky.

An Exhibit 10 contract is an unguaranteed deal that provides a bonus to players if they sign with the team’s G League affiliate if and when they’re waived from the NBA team. So for example, if Whitney or Cook don’t make the Hornets (which they probably won’t), they’ll get paid a bonus if they then sign with the Greensboro Swarm. These contracts are essentially a way to bring players in for camp and then send them to the G League when it’s time to cut the roster down.

Now, on to Whitney. He’s taken an interesting path to get here. He was one of the most highly rated recruits of the 2019 class and, like a lot top rated recruits, chose to play for John Calipari at Kentucky. He struggled in his freshman season, ultimately watching his minutes whittle away to almost nothing by January. He then decided to leave the university and eventually threw his name into the draft.

Based on what I’ve read from angry people on Twitter, Whitney’s departure from Kentucky wasn’t well-received, and he apparently received a lot of questionable advice to get to this point, particularly from his father. Some Kentucky fans can provide us some details in the comments.

As for Cook, he’s taken the dreamer route to the NBA. He went to junior college out of high school, where he had to earn playing time over two seasons. He then transferred to Missouri State, where he averaged 13.9 points per game for his two years there.