Charlotte Exchanged Its First-Year Scoring Veteran for Richard Anderson
On October 17, 1989, the Hornets traded Robert Reid to the Portland Trail Blazers for reserve forward Richard Anderson. Reid had just started all 82 games in Charlotte’s inaugural season, averaging 14.7 points, so he was an established scorer rather than a little-used roster filler. Portland wanted veteran options on the wing ahead of the 1989-90 season, while Charlotte searched for a different mix of frontcourt players in its second campaign. Both team ledgers and the league-wide transaction register describe a one-for-one trade, without draft picks or financial compensation. The Hornets were exchanging a player with proven recent team production for a younger depth forward who had not held an equally substantial offensive role.
Anderson Stayed Through One Charlotte Season, Then Was Waived
Anderson did not immediately vanish from Charlotte. The Hornets kept him during the 1989-90 campaign, when the team finished 19-63, then waived him on October 30, 1990 before the following season. That chronology matters: the late-October waiver was in 1990, not two weeks after the original 1989 trade. His Charlotte opportunity amounted to one season of interior depth rather than a long-term starting role. The Hornets’ C grade reflects modest usable roster minutes at a time when the franchise was trying multiple combinations. It should not be inflated by crediting Anderson with games played for earlier clubs or suggesting that Charlotte acquired any other asset in the deal.
Reid Briefly Joined Portland Before Returning to Charlotte
Reid did not become a lasting Trail Blazers figure either. The veteran spent a short period with Portland during 1989-90 and was back in Charlotte as a free-agent signing on December 13, 1989, according to the Hornets’ dated transaction history. His Trail Blazers opportunity was therefore smaller than the 82-game Charlotte season immediately before the trade. Portland’s C+ grade represents an attempt to acquire dependable veteran guard-forward depth for a contender, but the actual tenure was brief. Charlotte did not permanently lose access to Reid, because he returned through a separate free-agent agreement. This chain makes the slight Portland advantage modest rather than a sweeping success for either club.
Final Verdict
Slight Blazers Edge. Portland receives C+ for temporarily obtaining veteran Robert Reid. Charlotte earns C for Richard Anderson’s single-season reserve opportunity before an October 1990 waiver. Reid returned to the Hornets in a separate December 1989 signing, limiting the lasting value of the original trade for both teams.