Maryland Basketball: Rasheed Sulaimon signs with Hornets

Rasheed Sulaimon didn’t exactly have the Summer League performance that he may have wanted this summer.

However, Sulaimon will get another chance to make an impact in the NBA as he signed with the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

The Hornets inked Sulaimon and former Washington standout Andrew Andrews to free agent contracts. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Sulaimon averaged 11.3 points to go along 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds during his lone season with the Terrapins. The Houston native spent the previous three seasons at Duke before being dismissed for being unable to “consistently live up to required standards.”

The former Terp was a very complete player during his time in College Park. He shot 42.2 percent from beyond the arc while making 46.3 percent of shots from the field.

He scored in double figures in 19 games last season, including a 28-point effort against Minnesota when Maryland was without Diamond Stone.

He also led the Terps to a comeback win against Georgetown early in the season. Sulaimon connected on a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:20 left to put Maryland in front for good.

Sulaimon was part of one of the top backcourts in the Big Ten. The former Duke standout formed a cohesive duo alongside Melo Trimble.

While Sulaimon will be on the roster when Charlotte’s training camp opens, it’s going to be an uphill battle for him to stick with the Hornets. Charlotte has a slew of talented guards that include Nicolas Batum, Marco Belinelli, Jeremy Lamb, Ramon Sessions, and Kemba Walker.

Sulaimon’s best chance to make the team will be to showcase his three-point shooting ability. If he can do that, he could potentially be an instant offense-type piece off the bench.

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If he fails to crack the roster, Sulaimon could still stick with the organization and play for the Greensboro Swarm in the D-League.