Charlotte Hornets: Recent history at the NBA Trade Deadline

The Charlotte Hornets have been consistent at the NBA’s trade deadline; making a trade every year since the 2012-2013 season.

With the trade deadline approaching, will the Charlotte Hornets attempt to make a move? The Hornets are likely to make a trade, as they have consistently done so in the past six seasons.

The Hornets have consistently made trades by the deadline since the 2012-2013 season, each trade bringing some talent to the team. With a lot of trade speculation for this year and the Hornets in playoff contention; there is no reason why the Hornets shouldn’t make a trade.

There are high hopes that a trade will occur before the trade deadline on February 7th.  This article will examine the past three seasons where the Charlotte Hornets made a trade.

2015-2016 Season

In the 2015-2016 season, the Hornets were in contention to make the playoffs. The team finished the season in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, while ultimately losing in game seven of the playoffs against the Miami Heat.

A trade was desperately needed, as the team was missing starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was out for about the entire season. Charlotte would end up making a trade with the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies.

In this trade, the Hornets would acquire the veteran shooting guard, Courtney Lee, from the Grizzlies. Charlotte would send Brian Roberts to the Heat, while also sending P.J. Hairston and two second-round picks to the Grizzlies.

This trade would be beneficial for Charlotte, as the team was lacking a true veteran shooting guard. Lee would go on to average 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game for the Hornets.

2016-2017 Season

The Hornets did not fare well in the 2016-2017 season, as they finished the season with a record of 36-46. With high hopes of a playoff run, Charlotte made a trade at the trade deadline.

Charlotte traded centers Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes to the Milwaukee Bucks; in return, the Hornets would receive Miles Plumlee. At this time, Plumlee had a $50,000,000 contract that Charlotte had to take on.

Hibbert and Hawes were both players the Hornets could afford to give up, due to their roster depth. Hibbert averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while Hawes averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for Charlotte.

This trade was not good for the Hornets, and Plumlee provided a small amount of production off the bench. With the Hornets, Plumlee would average 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

2017-2018 Season

In the 2017-2018 season, Charlotte made a trade with the New York Knicks for Willy Hernangomez. In this trade, the Hornets would send Johnny O’Bryant and two second-round picks to the Knicks.

This trade did not make sense at the time, as the Hornets would now have four active centers on the roster; it would be beneficial for the team’s future. Even though Charlotte made this trade, it would still not help them get into the playoffs.

Despite not making the playoffs, Hernangomez would finish the season averaging 6.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while also getting his first double-double as a Hornet. This trade helped with Charlotte’s future and was one of the team’s better trades as of late.

With the Hornets pushing for playoff contention, I 100% expect them to make a trade before the deadline. As history repeats itself, the Hornets could look to trade for a star player who can play complementary basketball with Kemba Walker, or unload some contracts.