Free agent forward Tyler Hansbrough will be returning to North Carolina as he is the latest signee for the Charlotte Hornets, although no information regarding the deal was disclosed.
Hansbrough played for the University of North Carolina and was a star during his collegiate years with the Tar Heels.
The 29-year-old basketball player was selected in the first-round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers where he spent his first four seasons in the league before signing with the Toronto Raptors. He spent his last two seasons including the previous one with the Raptors.
Hansbrough played in 74 regular season games for Toronto during the 2014-15 season averaging 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.
In their first-round series loss to the Washington Wizards, he played in four games including two starts and averaged only 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
"North Carolina has always been a home to me, and I'm excited to come back here and play," Hansbrough said in his introductory conference last Wednesday.
Hansbrough added that he can bring energy to help the Hornets win and that he left Toronto because he was having a less significant role within the team.
"I feel like in Toronto my offensive role was diminished playing the five position. I feel like I can get back to that. In Toronto we were more guard-oriented," he shared during the conference.
Hansbrough certainly adds size in the Hornets frontline and is an efficient replacement for big man Bismack Biyombo who signed with the Toronto Raptors.
The former Tar Heel can be a rim protector on the defensive end and may also contribute to offense with his outside shooting.
Hansbrough is the sixth new player the Hornets added in their very active offseason as he joins rookie center Frank Kaminsky, free agent signing point guard Jeremy Lin along with forward Nicolas Batum, center Spencer Hawes, and guard Jeremy Lamb who were acquired via trade.
