5 Trades where the Hornets completely fleeced their trade partner

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference for the past two seasons, but they’re looking to improve.

This iteration of the Hornets has never made it past the first round of the playoffs. The last time they did was pre-Bobcats era when a Jamal Mashburn-led Charlotte squad made it to Round 2 in 2002.

However, they’ve tried their best to improve, making some solid trades along the way in hopes of getting better. And while not all of the trades have worked out in their favor, the Hornets have also won some deals.

Here are five trades where the Hornets absolutely fleeced their trade partner.

5 Trades where the Charlotte Hornets fleeced their trade partner

1. Thunder trade Jeremy Lamb to Hornets

This may not jump off the page as an electric blockbuster deal, but that’s because it’s not. Jeremy Lamb was nothing more than a solid role player, but he enjoyed the best years of his career in Charlotte.

In 2015, the Thunder traded Lamb to the Hornets in exchange for Luke Ridnour and a second-round pick that turned into Petr Cornelie.

Neither of those two players ever suited up for the Thunder. Meanwhile, Lamb played in Charlotte for four seasons, and in the 2018-29 season, he averaged 15.3 points per game—a career-high.

Again, this isn’t the type of deal that’s going to send shockwaves through the NBA. In the end, Lamb didn’t do too much in Charlotte, he just played solid basketball.

But the Hornets effectively traded nothing for something, and that’s a massive win, especially considering how little value Oklahoma City got out of it.