The Charlotte Hornets came mighty close to acquiring Marc Gasol before the NBA trade deadline. Close, but no dice. General manager Mitch Kupchak walked away from the 3 p.m. cutoff slate with a sense of disappointment, failing to get All-Star point guard Kemba Walker the help he so direly needs to propel this team into the postseason.
“You always feel after the trade deadline you could have done better or could have done more,” Kupchak said during a conference call with Charlotte media late Thursday afternoon, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
While a Walker-Gasol partnership likely held the key to ensuring the former was set for a long-term contract with the Hornets, Kupchak is still optimistic it will happen.
“I would say we focused on two or three (possible trades) as of late and I thought were making progress. But I don’t know if we ever got close or not,” Kupchak said, adding that as the deadline looms and teams communicate more, “there’s always the illusion you’re getting closer, but I don’t know if that was the case.”
The Hornets honed onto Gasol after the Sacramento Kings had traded for Harrison Barnes, another player Charlotte had sights on, but couldn't quite pull off. Gasol ended up with the Toronto Raptors an hour before the deadline expired.
Charlotte also greased the wheels on moving center Frank Kaminsky. Once again — close, but no cigar.
It's yet to be seen if this inactivity will bother Walker when it's time for him to make a decision, but Kupchak; who is in his first season with the team, remains optimistic.
“(A team) getting on a roll and feeling really good about ourselves entering the playoffs: I think that’s all any player really wants,” Kupchak said.
“I think a lot of players feel a loyalty to their teams. If they trust management, then they trust management. The most important thing is that we win, but I think he really enjoys all his teammates and has had his best year maybe ever under our coaching staff.”
Only time will tell if Kupchak's gut feeling is true or not, but that is a risk that comes with awful consequences if talks sour come July 1.
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