Charlotte Hornets’ Kai Jones may face a hefty fine of $150k after publicly announcing on social media that he requested a trade from the franchise.
On October 9, the 24-year-old center/forward made a surprise post on his X account, saying he had officially asked for a trade from his team, the Charlotte Hornets. Jones is well-known for his social media presence, often posting on his X account multiple times to let his followers know what he was up to. But this time was different, and it sent shock waves through the sports world.
https://twitter.com/242_jones/status/1711463763453378954?s=20
However, according to NBA Central, Jones could be fined $150k for violating Section 18 of the league’s rules. According to the clause, any player who openly requests to be traded to another team will be fined $150,000. or suspended.
X Users on Kai Jones
According to league rules, Kai Jones could be fined up to $150K for publicly requesting a trade 😬
(h/t @byBrianGoins ) pic.twitter.com/kH062YshOR
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2023
kai Jones was selected with the 19th pick by the New York Knicks in 2021 and was later traded to the Charlotte Hornets in August of that year.
Jones has stayed with the organization for two years. During the ‘22-’23, the 22-year old played 36 regular season games and averaged 3.4 points per game, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists.
On September 30, however, the Hornets posted on X and announced that Jones would not be participating in the team’s training camp practices and would be out for the season. This came after Jones made a string of strange social media posts and hasn’t been part of the players’ optional practices in the last few weeks, as per HoopsRumors.
The @hornets released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/v13Y8vh4i0
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) September 30, 2023
Shams Charania of The Athletic also reported this on his X, posting “The Charlotte Hornets will have 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely and there’s no timetable for his return, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. Jones will miss training camp due to personal reasons, and team remains in constant communication with him.
The Charlotte Hornets will have 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely and there’s no timetable for his return, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Jones will miss training camp due to personal reasons, and team remains in constant communication with him.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2023
Hours before posting the trade request, Jones re-tweeted a series of motivational quotes, including ‘Be patient. Your time will come.’
And in two of his posts, Jones also expressed his eagerness to play and break records, saying, “Whenever I play again, it’s over for everyone in front of me on GOAT” and “I’m known to break records dawg. ONE ON DA WAY.”
The photo above is from a YouTube screengrab