Chandler for Okafor deal in works {Update - Official 7/28} {mega-merged}

[Luke's Pelicans]

i never realized they were the same age. I keep thinking Okafor is 3 or 4 years younger

That's cause chandler has been in the league 3 or 4 more years.. one went to UCONN other came straight to pros

[NOLA Brah!]

I still have to wonder what else is involved. For the Bobcats, I just don't get it.

if i had to guess, they are struggling support wise, trying to lock up their pg and have the potential of the cap dropping for a team that may make a run at the 8 seed with all the other teams in the east vastly improving. their owner is also selling the team.

[Shrimpnose]

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtop...4cddb35c282338

[Napoleon Solo]

While Okafor has a longer contract, the players make about the same each year, making it an easier deal to fit under the salary cap. Chandler is owed $11.8 million in the 2009-10 season, and he could exercise his option for the 2010-11 season to increase that to $12.7 million.

So now it makes a little more sense, but we would still be paying him 38 million more.

I'm still not completely sold on this trade though. Something else has to be involved to make this work. I guess Charlotte could benefit from this trade because they have Radmanovic and Mohammed coming off their payroll next year.

[DiMaggio dunks]

if this goes through it's one of the biggest turnarounds ever. the TP won't know what to do with their backlog of "the Hornets are just waiting it out this offseason" articles.

thumbs up to Bower for pulling this off (if it goes through).

[Double Zero]

Okafor is younger....in NBA years. He went to college and played a college schedule. Tyson went straight to the NBA from High School. Tyson's played a lot more long seasons than Okafor and has a lot more wear and tear.

When talking about the money for the length of Okafor's deal don't forget that replaacing Tyson in two years wouldn"t have been cheap either.

[AD23nEG10]

I sure hope this is still his girlfriend

http://www.ebsports.net/blog/gf/meka.jpg

[Alg_Hornet]

The deal is basically done...

[NBA Champs]

I sure hope this is still his girlfriend

http://www.ebsports.net/blog/gf/meka.jpg

Wow, shes almost a cute as one of my female "associates"

[PelicanFever]

if you look at the financial point of view; it saves us 2 mill next year and 3 the year after after taking the luxury tax in effect

and you say we will be in cap hell, but not really, we probably assumed after the ben wallace buyout that we werent going to be able to trade chandler to cut significant payroll so we opted to get better in terms of talent; in 2 yrs peja's contract comes off the books, so we won't be in cap hell after that point

i remember CP3 &11 others was talking about getting flexibility and then making a trade to get a quality center for the forseeable future(he mentioned bogut as a possibility), well we got the quality center now for the forseeable future

[Korrbg20]

I haven't heard anything regarding "pending a physical"


So I don't know, maybe we don't even have to worry if he passes a physical or not. I just hope this doesn't get rescinded

[neworleanshoo]

this trade is so clearly a win for us and a loss for them... count me in the camp that thinks there has to be something more to it.

[NBA Champs]

Okafor gives you an inside presence on both ends of the court. Defensively, he's always been a solid shot-blocker which will be nice. Am I at least more hopeful for next season if this deal goes through? Sure. Do I think we can hang with LAL? Hell no.

Don't be so pessimistic..there could be more changes made from now till the All-Star break...not including this deal being DONE!!!!! Wooohoooooo!

[Luke's Pelicans]

if you look at the financial point of view; it saves us 2 mill next year and 3 the year after after taking the luxury tax in effect

and you say we will be in cap hell, but not really, we probably assumed after the ben wallace buyout that we werent going to be able to trade chandler to cut significant payroll so we opted to get better in terms of talent; in 2 yrs peja's contract comes off the books, so we won't be in cap hell after that point

i remember CP3 &11 others was talking about getting flexibility and then making a trade to get a quality center for the forseeable future(he mentioned bogut as a possibility), well we got the quality center now for the forseeable future

exactly, thanks for saving me some time

[BLT23]

so they trade a player that has has back issues in the past that has 5 years left on his deal for a player that has foot issues but only 2 years left on his deal...

Obviously I would love this trade, but its not as insane as some of you think.. they must know something about Okafor like we know about Chandler..

[West Coast Hornet]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4359609

The widespread belief then and during New Orleans' subsequent discussions with Phoenix about swapping Chandler for the expiring contract of Ben Wallace -- which Phoenix has since bought out -- maintained that New Orleans was determined to shed Chandler's contract only for an expiring deal to create payroll relief.

Swapping Chandler for Okafor will only save the Hornets just over $1 million next season and cost them an extra $40-plus million over the final three years of Okafor's deal if the 26-year-old exercises his $14.5 million option for the 2013-14 season. Chandler has just one year left on his contract after this season at $12.6 million.

The media is full of idiots. We said from the begining that the Hornets weren't trying to dump Chandler for salary relief. We said that it had everything to do with his injury status and limited prospect for future success in the NBA. Time will tell on that last part, but, once again, this should put the rest the notion that the Hornets are cheap.

I don't normally plug this site, but it should be fairly evident that this is the premier place for all things Hornets.

Now, let's find out if any of these players can pass their physicals.

[NBA Champs]

this trade is so clearly a win for us and a loss for them... count me in the camp that thinks there has to be something more to it.

As long as it doesn't involve Paul/Wright/Thornton/Collison..I'm good...If JuJu is a goner..he will be missed...I wouldn't mind the spare parts making this deal look like

Hornets send:

Chandler
Butler
Peterson

Bobcats send

Okafor
Mohammed
Bell

PG - Paul/Collison/Daniels
SG - Bell/Thornton/Brown
SF - Wright/Peja/Posey (wont have 3rd string mins)
PF - West/Armstrong/FA
C - Okafor/Mohammed

* 1 open roster spot
* Adds less than $250,000 dollars to next seasons salary

[TRYJIM]

He was in Brown's dog house. From Yahoo Sports -

Okafor was the No. 2 overall pick—after Orlando took Dwight Howard(notes)—in the 2004 draft. Okafor was the first pick in franchise history and the Bobcats re-signed him to a six-year, $72 million deal before last season.

The 6-foot-10 Okafor averaged 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds for Charlotte last season. But Brown questioned his passion at the end of the season.

“I tease him that he’s got an A in stretching and pilates and yoga. I want him to have an A in basketball,” Brown said two days after Charlotte finished 35-47. “It makes older people feel great, but he’s got to work on his game. … There’s no better guy than him, I just want him to have a passion to play the sport because it ends so quickly.”

Chandler is taller, at 7-1, but averaged only 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in an unsettling season that saw him traded to Oklahoma City, then returned to New Orleans. The deal was rescinded because the Thunder had concerns about a left toe injury.

Chandler later had a left ankle injury that kept him out of the Hornets’ final playoff game. He underwent surgery on his toe and ankle in May, but Hornets officials said he would be ready for training camp.

The Hornets don’t figure to have injury concerns with Okafor, who has played all 82 games in each of the past two seasons. While he is a solid rebounder, he has struggled offensively and is a poor free-throw shooter.

While Okafor has a longer contract, the players make about the same each year, making it an easier deal to fit under the salary cap. Chandler is owed $11.8 million in the 2009-10 season, and he could exercise his option for the 2010-11 season to increase that to $12.7 million.

Chandler’s shorter contract could help the Bobcats get long-term salary-cap relief and lower payroll for owner Bob Johnson, who is looking to sell the team after deep financial losses.

Once completed, it would mark the fourth major trade for the Bobcats since Brown took his NBA record ninth head coaching job. The team, which will begin its sixth season in the fall, is still looking for its first playoff berth.

[ULsaint]

It's a good trade imo. It's not as one-sided as everyone thinks. This is not the Gasol deal all over again, but it definitely favors the Hornets.

The key to this deal will be how much Okafor improves having a real PG to deliver the ball to him. Felton/Augustine are ok, but we all know they are nothing compared to Paul.

I'm not overly worried about Chandler failing the physical. I think the Bobcats will probably waive that anyway. Didn't he just have surgery? I doubt he would pass right now because of that anyway.

Now they need to find a way to dump Peterson. I'm pretty certain we're stuck with Peja.

[Saints Fan in A]

I don't know that Emeka Okafor is a better person than Tyson Chandler as I really like TC the person but I would have to say that Okafor is the better basketball player. Emeka is a better scorer, rebounder, low-post defender, shot-blocker, and averages less personal fouls than Tyson Chandler. I would also expect a 3-5 ppg bump for Okafor playing with Chris Paul and increased production by David West. If this trade goes through, as we expect it to, tremendous win for the Hornets.

And finally, this should shut up the nay-sayers who swear that the Hornets are only trying to dump salary and have no interest in fielding a winner. Taking on the extra $40M on Okafor's contract is a huge statement by ownership, especially in this economy. Bower should win GM of the year if he pulls off a one-for-one swap.

[West Coast Hornet]

It's a good trade imo. It's not as one-sided as everyone thinks. This is not the Gasol deal all over again, but it definitely favors the Hornets.

The key to this deal will be how much Okafor improves having a real PG to deliver the ball to him. Felton/Augustine are ok, but we all know they are nothing compared to Paul.

I'm not overly worried about Chandler failing the physical. I think the Bobcats will probably waive that anyway. Didn't he just have surgery? I doubt he would pass right now because of that anyway.

Now they need to find a way to dump Peterson. I'm pretty certain we're stuck with Peja.

You could be right if the Bobcats are looking to dump salary, and we have all heard about their economic woes. Still, I'd be hesitant to assign reasons to an org I don't know much about it. Of course, the media has no problem doing this.

[West Coast Hornet]

I'm hoping that he is just healthy.

[ULsaint]

This deal doesn't make the Hornets a title contender imo but it does put them back in the playoffs for sure.

I still think they are significantly behind LAL, Portland and possibly Denver and San Antonio.

This does put them imo clearly over Dallas and Houston, which the Hornets had fallen behind last season.

Dallas' offseason has been a disaster. Marion was an ok signing but Gooden and re-signing Kidd was horrible. Houston is going to be a pain in the *** and maybe the lowest scoring team in the league. SA will be tough if they stay healthy.

Portland is going to be awesome.

[Napoleon Solo]

The media is full of idiots. We said from the begining that the Hornets weren't trying to dump Chandler for salary relief. We said that it had everything to do with his injury status and limited prospect for future success in the NBA. Time will tell on that last part, but, once again, this should put the rest the notion that the Hornets are cheap.

I don't normally plug this site, but it should be fairly evident that this is the premier place for all things Hornets.

Now, let's find out if any of these players can pass their physicals.

I thought the whole reasoning for wanting to trade Chandler was for salary relief. The Hornets are way over the luxury tax and Chandler is injury prone so there was the main reasoning for wanting to dump him.

[West Coast Hornet]

I thought the whole reasoning for wanting to trade Chandler was for salary relief. The Hornets are way over the luxury tax and Chandler is injury prone so there was the main reasoning for wanting to dump him.

They wanted to move him because of his health status. He became expendable when he proved to be a liability, especially in light of his contract. At any rate, we reported this over and over here. Some believed us, some didn't.