The Hornets Needed Guard Coverage More Than a Reserve Center
The New Orleans Hornets exchanged veteran center Elden Campbell for Seattle SuperSonics point guard Kenny Anderson on February 20, 2003. New Orleans had experienced injury-related roster problems during its first season in Louisiana and wanted another experienced ball handler. Campbell had already lost much of the frontcourt responsibility he carried during earlier Charlotte Hornets seasons. Seattle, meanwhile, was making substantial deadline changes, including a separate Gary Payton transaction, and acquired another center to distribute minutes among its remaining big men. This was a direct veteran-for-veteran swap without a draft selection attached.
Anderson Delivered 23 Games and 77 Hornets Assists
After moving to New Orleans, Anderson played twenty-three regular-season games, starting once and logging 446 minutes. He scored 139 points and recorded seventy-seven assists, helping the Hornets maintain backcourt depth through their playoff push. The contribution was limited compared with Anderson's career peak, but twenty-three games and nearly nineteen and a half minutes per appearance amounted to a real reserve role. His thirty-eight Seattle appearances before the trade must remain part of his SuperSonics record rather than being added to his New Orleans return. Anderson did not become a long-term Hornets starter, leaving after the season.
Campbell Had a Smaller Seattle Role After the Swap
Campbell played fifteen regular-season games for Seattle after February 20, with no starts. His SuperSonics totals were 184 minutes, forty-eight points and thirty-nine rebounds. These figures show why it would be misleading to credit Seattle with Campbell's earlier 41 New Orleans games from the same campaign. His greatest NBA years had already passed, and the new team used him as a modest reserve center. He left after the season and later contributed to Detroit, but those Pistons games were unrelated to the Seattle acquisition. The direct return here was a brief, low-minute look at a veteran big man.
Both Clubs Got Depth, but New Orleans Used Its Player More
The trade served sensible short-term roster objectives for both franchises, yet the receiving-team record favors the Hornets. Anderson's 446 minutes more than doubled Campbell's Seattle time, and New Orleans also received more points and a useful source of assists. The SuperSonics did acquire size and had other reasons to reduce their guard allocation as they rebuilt, but this transaction alone did not generate a major frontcourt contribution. The older Seattle-favored grade put excessive weight on Campbell's previous reputation. Neither veteran stayed with his new club beyond that season, making this a narrowly defined and short-lived advantage.
Final Verdict
Hornets Win. New Orleans receives B- for Kenny Anderson's twenty-three games, 446 minutes, 139 points and seventy-seven assists in 2002-03. Seattle gets C- for Elden Campbell's fifteen games, 184 minutes and forty-eight points. The Hornets obtained the more productive short-term reserve, reversing the earlier Seattle-favored grade without counting either player's pretrade seasons.