Report: Hornets decline option on P.J. Hairston due to inconsistency

With the salary cap slated to rise to $90 million next season, and possibly $107 million the year thereafter, the relative cost of rookie-scale contracts have turned almost every prospect into a bargain.

However, despite him carrying a team option of just $1.25 million for the 2016-17 season, the Charlotte Hornets have declined the third-year option on swingman P.J. Hairston, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

In a separate tweet, Bonnell went on to clarify that general manager Rich Cho said he held concerns regarding Hairston's consistency both on and off the court.

The Hornets acquired the rights to Hairston after he was selected 26th overall in 2014. He was billed as a spot-up specialist, but the 22-year-old shot just 30.1 percent from deep while posting averages of 5.6 points and two rebounds.

Hairston's poor showing landed him in the D-League, where, to his credit, he averaged 21.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on a true shooting percentage of 60.4 percent.

Still, that wasn't enough for the Hornets, who have apparently decided to allow him to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.

Hairston's off-court antics couldn't have helped his cause. He was cited for four traffic violations over the past year, he was benched after missing a weight-training session, he got fined $5,000 for an embarrassing flop, and he was charged with assault before having those charges dropped at the request of the victim.