With the success of Montrezl Harrell and Isaiah Thomas this season, who are the Hornets’ five best late-season acquisitions ever? Let’s take a look.
The Charlotte Hornets have been in the NBA playoff picture all season long and despite a rough February stretch that had them slide in the standings, things have picked up and they’re all but guaranteed to be a top-10 seed in the East.
When the Hornets fell below .500 at the beginning of February, they could have easily tanked the rest of the way and waited until next year with such a top-heavy Eastern Conference.
However, general manager Mitch Kupchak made a surprising, non-risky trade deadline move by sending point guard Ish Smith to the Washington Wizards for power forward Montrezl Harrell.
Kupchak didn’t give up any key assets and Harrell, a former Sixth-Man of the Year has been a solid addition to Charlotte during its late-season push.
Harrell has brought a veteran presence and aggressive tenacity that has helped make the Hornets a tougher and wiser team.
Then, Charlotte signed former All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract at the beginning of March, and he has helped propel the team to an even higher level.
Thomas has averaged just under 10 points per game in 11 appearances since joining the team and was signed for the rest of the season last week.
It remains to be seen how the Hornets will perform in the postseason, but either way, Harrell and Thomas’ performances have helped Charlotte go on this late-season roll, which might not have happened if they weren’t acquired.
There haven’t been many late-season additions like these two in Charlotte’s history that have made such an impact, but there were a few. Here is a look at five of those players not named Thomas or Harrell who’ve made the biggest impact for the Hornets/Bobcats.