Trail Blazers sign James Bouknight to Exhibit 10 deal

Update (11 a.m., Oct. 16): The Blazers officially waived Bouknight on Wednesday, completing the transaction and allowing him to be claimed by the Rip City Remix.

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed James Bouknight to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced Tuesday. The guard spent two and a half seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before being released earlier this year. Portland's signing signals that they may see development potential in him.

PORTLAND, Ore. (October 15, 2024) – The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard James Bouknight (Book Night) to an Exhibit 10 contract, Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin announced today. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

In three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Bouknight posted career averages of 4.8 points (33.5% 3-PT, 76.2% FT), 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 11, in 79 career games for the Hornets. 4 minutes per game. In the 2023-24 season, the former 11th overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft shot a career-high 43.3% from three.

Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin says the team plans to waive him and retain his rights so he can join their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.

Bouknight was released by the Hornets on February 8 to clear roster space following the PJ Washington-Gordon Hayward deal. At The Hive reports that Bouknight was the favorite to be waived after falling completely out of the rotation. It is best to leave the explanation verbatim:

Bouknight should have been the betting favorite to be one of the players waived to trim the Hornets' roster. He's been the de facto last player in the rotation all season, to the point that two-way player Leaky Black is getting minutes and even starting games while Bouknight doesn't get out of his warmups. According to Cleaning the Glass, he played 22 minutes with no garbage time all season. This came after the team declined to pick up the fourth-year option in his contract for next season. He obviously has no long-term plans for this team, and even a series of injuries weren't enough to get him another chance.

Bouknight also has a past off the field. In 2022, he was arrested in the Charlotte area for driving while intoxicated. He allegedly hit two police vehicles and had a gun in the car (he had an outstanding permit). He had previously been charged with reckless driving, including driving at 92 mph in a 50 mph zone and 84 mph in a 35 mph zone. He pleaded guilty to impaired driving and was sentenced to one year of probation in April 2024 and had to surrender his driver's license for this period.

A player with a Schedule 10 contract does not count toward a team's offseason roster or its salary cap. It allows a team to sign more players, for example for training camp, but with no guarantee that they will make the final roster. If they are added to the regular season roster, the contract is essentially converted to a regular minimum contract that counts against the salary cap. For more information on Exhibit 10 offers, visit HoopsHype.