Written by Jude Young
| Monday, 27 July 2009 15:13
|
Hornets News
The New Orleans Hornets have finally made a big move this offseason.
And that move means a change in the middle and a new big man in the Big
Easy.
New Orleans completed Tuesday to send center Tyson Chandler to Charlotte in exchange for Emeka Okafor.
NBA sources confirmed to ESPN's Mark Stein that talks had been ongoing since last week between the two teams. It is a straight-up swap of starting centers with similar ages and skills.
The Hornets had a deal in principle to trade Chandler to the Thunder for Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith before last season's trade deadline, but the deal was nixed when Chandler failed his physical in Oklahoma City due to concerns about a lingering left toe injury.
Chandler (7-1, 235) had offseason surgeries to address toe and ankle issues after playing in only 45 games last season. He averaged 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in a disappointing season compared to 2007-08 when he averaged 11.8 points and 11.8 rebounds over 79 games.
The 26-year old Chandler is scheduled to make $11.85 million next season and expected to take his player option for 2010-11 when he will make an additional $12.75 million.
Okafor, a 5-year veteran and former Charlotte second-overall selection (2004) out of UConn signed a 6-year, $72 million contract last offseason. The Bobcats' motivation to trade the 26-year old is escaping the long-term commitment of a deal that does not expire until the summer of 2014.
“Emeka is one of the premier centers in the NBA with All-Star caliber scoring and rebounding averages throughout his career,” said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. “His potential to improve is endless once you put him on the court running with Chris Paul. We appreciate what Tyson has done for our club in the past and wish him the best, but our intention this summer was to improve our team and this trade is definitely a positive move in that direction.”
Overall, New Orleans saves $1 million dollars against the cap this season but takes on an addtional $40 million for the following 3 years assuming Okafor exercises his player option for the final year of the deal (2013-14).
Charlotte owner Bob Johnson is reportedly looking to sell the franchise amid heavy financial losses.
The 6-foot-10 center/forward scored 13.1 points with 10.1 rebounds per game in 2008-09. Okafor has played in all 82 games for the Bobcats in each of the past two seasons.
Okafor has averaged double-digit points and rebounds throughout his NBA career and has a better career shot blocking average than Chandler (1.9 to 1.4 per game) despite being three inches shorter.
Okafor's contract (through 2013-14) 2009/2010 10.538m
2010/2011 11.540m
2011/2012 12.541m
2012/2013 13.543m
2013/2014 14.544m (player option)
And I just don't think any player they dump besides Paul/West is a big deal longterm for this franchise. As you said, they aren't championship contenders, so I truly wouldn't care if an old player like Posey gets dealt. It's all about the longterm, and they are in much better shape now with a legit starting center who isn't a health risk, along with some youth off the bench in the backcourt.