Charlotte Hornets fans were conditioned to believe a trade-deadline deal was automatic every winter.
For each of six seasons between 2013 and 2018, then-general manager Rich Cho made a deadline deal. Then, Mitch Kupchak replaced Cho and ... nothing.
In his first two seasons overseeing the Hornets, Kupchak has yet to make an in-season trade. His track record from when he ran the Los Angeles Lakers suggests that’s by design.
Kupchak made just eight in-season trades with the Lakers between 2000 and 2017. ESPN front-office insider Bobby Marks called that “very conservative” compared to most franchises’ in-season dealing, although it’s not unique.