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NBA star Kai Jones requests ‘to be traded’ amid time away from Charlotte Hornets
Kai Jones announces his desire to exit Charlotte Hornets on social media during his time away from the team citing ‘personal reasons’
Kai Jones, the Charlotte Hornets' forward/centre announced on social media his official request “to be traded.” The 22-year-old NBA star has recently been away from the team following his bizarre social media activity, which involved criticism of other teammates, as per NBA. In 2021, Kai was the 19th overall pick out of Texas and has averaged 2.7 points and two rebounds in 67 games with the Hornets. Last week, the team released a statement explaining Kai's absence during training. Per the statement, he is indefinitely away due to “personal reasons.” It added, "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.”
In a series of X posts, the 6-foot-11 Hornets star wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I have officially requested to be traded from the Charlotte Hornets. #GOATLIFE.” Just an hour later, he tweeted again, saying, “Done talking to people that cloud my heart I was goat from start.” In the third post, he shared statistics about his games, with the caption “ONE GOAT.”
Kai's behaviour raised eyebrows after he criticised his teammates including Mark Williams, Nick Richards, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller as per CBS Sports. In light of the trade request raised publically by the Hornet's star, it is important to note that he could be subject to fines or even suspension. The current collective bargaining agreement states that any player openly expressing a desire to join another team shall be “subject to a fine and/or a suspension.” The maximum fine that may be imposed on such a player by the NBA is $150,000.
