For the second time in the last two months, Gonzaga Bulldogs point guard Ryan Nembhard has been traded. This time, the Atlanta Hawks shipped him off, along with guard Buddy Hield and cash, to the Charlotte Hornets for forward Dorian Finney-Smith, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charlotte plans to waive Nembhard, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, leaving the 23-year-old currently homeless. That doesn’t mean that the 5-11 primary ball handler won’t have many suitors with an open two-way spot, such as the favorite Denver Nuggets, plus the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards.
In his rookie season, Nembhard averaged 6.6 points on a shooting split of 41.5 field goal percentage/35.6 three-point percentage/80.6 free throw percentage, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes across 60 appearances. He set an NBA rookie record with 23 assists in the Dallas Mavericks 2025-26 season finale against Chicago.
The undrafted lead guard, who has a way of controlling the floor and flow of any offense, averaged 8.0 points, 8.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks over two games with Dallas in the NBA Summer League, before dealing with an unknown illness that kept him out for the final three games.
Nembhard also competed with his home country of Canada in the third window of the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers over the summer.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
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