Charlotte Exchanged Two Guards for Kenny Anderson and Gerald Glass
The Hornets and New Jersey Nets made a four-player backcourt trade on January 19, 1996. Charlotte sent Kendall Gill and Khalid Reeves to the Nets, receiving Kenny Anderson and Gerald Glass. Anderson had been a productive primary point guard for New Jersey, but the club was seeking a different scoring and defensive combination after an uneven start. Gill had recently returned to Charlotte from Seattle and the Hornets were willing to move him again to acquire a ball handler capable of creating opportunities for their scorers. Contemporary team transaction reports list all four players. Glass was a short-term addition rather than the centerpiece of Charlotte’s interest.
Anderson Played Well but Left Charlotte After That Season
Anderson started 36 of his 38 Charlotte games after the trade, averaging 15.2 points and 8.6 assists in 34.3 minutes. He provided exactly the kind of passing the Hornets sought, despite the club missing the 1996 postseason. He then signed with Portland that offseason, making his Charlotte stay relatively short. Glass was waived by Charlotte on February 22 after only a few weeks. The Hornets therefore received a productive but temporary point guard and no enduring contribution from the other incoming player. Their canonical B- recognizes the immediate playmaking benefit without extending Anderson’s later Portland and Boston performances backward to this transaction.
Gill Eventually Supplied New Jersey Years of Starting Minutes
Gill was a larger long-term win for New Jersey than his short Charlotte reunion suggested. After the January 1996 trade, he remained with the Nets and started 81 of 82 games in 1996-97, averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals. He remained a regular starter in 1997-98, with another 81 starts and 13.4 points per game. Reeves had a smaller role, but the return was clearly more than a single rented veteran. The canonical Nets C+ grade is lower than Charlotte’s B- despite Gill’s ensuing tenure, and the assessment should be read as preserving inherited grading pending a broader hindsight audit. Both teams received on-court production, with different durations.
Final Verdict
Slight Charlotte Edge. Charlotte grades B- for Kenny Anderson’s 38-game stretch at 15.2 points and 8.6 assists per game, while New Jersey receives C+ for Kendall Gill and Khalid Reeves. Gill later produced multiple starting seasons for the Nets, a real complication in the narrow canonical Charlotte verdict.