Charlotte Hornets Sign Tyler Hansbrough

After a stint north of the border, Tyler Hansbrough is returning to the state where he won a national championship. The energetic big man has agreed upon a contract with the Charlotte Hornets after spending last two seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

Hansbrough played for the North Carolina Tar Heels in college basketball from 2005 to 2009. In his senior year, they won the NCAA national title before Hansbrough headed to the NBA draft, where he was drafted the 13th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers. With the Tar Heels, Hansbrough was the National College Player of the Year in 2008 and was also a three-time Consensus First Team All-American from 2007 to 2009.

In the NBA, Hansbrough became an energy player who mainly comes off the bench. He spent his first four seasons with the Pacers from 2009 to 2013, and his best year with the team came in his second year when he averaged 11.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 70 games in the regular season.

As a free agent entering the 2013-14 season, he signed with the Raptors, where he has played the last two years. In Toronto, his overall production dropped as he averaged just 4.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in just over 14.5 minutes per game.

The Hornets are hoping to return to the postseason after missing out last year and have overhauled their roster. New additions include Nicolas Batum and Spencer Hawes from various trades and Jeremy Lin from free agency. Gone from the roster are Noah Vonleh, Gerald Henderson, Mo Williams and Lance Stephenson.