Report | "Little Belief" Charlotte Will Make "Significant" Moves Before Trade Deadline

December 15th is a key milestone in the NBA calendar, this is the date free agents who signed in the 2023 off-season become eligible for trade. This unofficially marks the start of the NBA's trade season which culminates with the trade deadline on February 8th. Matt Moore of The Action Network recently posted his latest "Trade Intel" article which included an update on the Charlotte Hornets:

"Despite Charlotte's disappointing season, there's little belief they'll make significant moves. There is skepticism that the new ownership group that took over from Michael Jordan is looking to take on salary at the moment."

Trade Season is here! Some things I've heard on various teams, the Siakam and OG, stuff, LaVine, and more. https://t.co/NxTsYgaDeK
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 12, 2023

Analysis

Despite another disappointing season of treading water in NBA irrelevance, this update is an unsurprising one. The new ownership group preached patience and distanced themselves from any short term-ism when conducting their introductory press conference this past summer. Although there are talented pieces in Charlotte, it's clear a re-tool is needed, that task is a lot easier if the team has financial flexibility.

This report is not saying the Charlotte Hornets won't make any moves at all. Trades for expiring contracts or draft pick compensation would remain a possibility, but this report suggests any big money moves like Zach LaVine will be avoided during the team's transition under new ownership.