Mitch Kupchak revealed on Wednesday that the Charlotte Hornets were far closer to keeping Kobe Bryant than the public originally thought.

The Hornets had second thoughts about the trade that would have sent Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

“There was such excitement around the pick that Charlotte actually didn’t want to go through with the deal,” Kupchak said. “There was a time there, whether it was Vlade (Divac threatening to retire) or just pressure on the franchise, where the deal was actually in jeopardy.”

The Hornets drafted Bryant 13th overall with the intention of trading him to the Lakers for Divac.

“There was a strong possibility then that it might not happen,” Kupchak said.

“I think we always felt that we’d get the deal done. Certainly, history would have been a lot different, at least from a Lakers point-of-view. Kobe would have been great no matter where he was.”

Members of the New York Knicks organization see Malik Monk as a possible trade target, sources told Ian Begley of SNY.

Begley adds that it is unknown whether the Knicks and Hornets have had any trade discussions surrounding Monk. 

The Knicks are interested in acquiring a starter-level player before the trade deadline. 

Several teams are still monitoring the availability of Marcus Morris, though the team is interested in bringing him back next season. 

The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to sign Ray Spalding to a Two-Way deal.

Spalding appeared in 14 games last season with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.

Spalding is averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.5 minutes per game in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.