New Orleans trades Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to Washington for Rashard Lewis

[mqtcelticsfan]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

I'd hold on to Davis on his rookie deal over Howard coming off surgery.

[Kane3387]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

Love it. Do they have the cap space to do it?

Trade really only clears about $7 million off of the Hornet's cap for next year (basically, as if they cleared Ariza off the books, since Lewis buyout and Okafor's contract is a wash).

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/hornets.jsp

So, roughly $31 million in salary, without Gordon's new deal, and cap holds for #1 and #10, I think.

Amnesty Jarrett Jack.

[fairweatherfan06]

Lol a lot of salary committed to trying to get the 8th seed. I guess they can take Orlando's spot.

I suspect they will take Beal and amnesty Blatche.

If they amnesty Blatche are we interested?  I think him Next to KG is a good look

[Kane3387]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

I'd hold on to Davis on his rookie deal over Howard coming off surgery.

D-Will doesn't wanna play with Davis. He Loves Howard.

[indeedproceed]

Rasheed Lewis is like THE expiring deal. You could use his contract so many ways, and they chose to pick up below average starters with bad contracts? This just doesn't add up to me.

1) Okafor is not a below average starter. He's a significantly above average defender, capable of defending 2 positions, and a great teammate. You could argue he's an average starter I guess, but I'd say there are more centers who started 50 games last year he is better than, then there are centers who started 50 games last year he is worse than.

2) WHo knows what deals were even out there for Lewis? The teams with big names that they're willing to trade (example, Lakers and Gasol, Magic and Howard, etc), are looking for more in return than cap space they can't capitalize on for their stars. I could see a guy like Boozer or Stoudemire available maybe as well, but why gamble with their long contracts?

[indeedproceed]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

I'd hold on to Davis on his rookie deal over Howard coming off surgery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrpBLDWyCI

[StartOrien]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

I'd hold on to Davis on his rookie deal over Howard coming off surgery.

D-Will doesn't wanna play with Davis. He Loves Howard.

At the same time, if I'm Deron Williams and interested in the Hornets I kinda like the idea of playing with Davis and then keeping room for another top flight free agent the next year. 

[Lucky17]

I guess the next question is, who does NO target in free agency?

What franchise-level free agents would elect to sign up with the Hornets, who will have little more than Davis and presumably Eric Gordon to build around?

[StartOrien]

I guess the next question is, who does NO target in free agency?

What franchise-level free agents would elect to sign up with the Hornets, who will have little more than Davis and presumably Eric Gordon to build around?

Deron Williams. No doubt about it.

[indeedproceed]

Two more tweets from Givony:

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
New Orleans now has unlimited cap space, in addition to the #1 pick, the #10 pick, and Eric Gordon. Not a bad time to be a Hornets fan.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress
Rashard Lewis' 23.8 million dollar contract can be bought out for 13.7 million before July 1st. Trade saves New Orleans around 30 million?

Ha, imagine just a straight up swap with Davis for Howard, signing Deron Williams, resigning Eric Gordon, and keeping the #10 pick.

Oh the places you'll go.

I'd hold on to Davis on his rookie deal over Howard coming off surgery.

D-Will doesn't wanna play with Davis. He Loves Howard.

At the same time, if I'm Deron Williams and interested in the Hornets I kinda like the idea of playing with Davis and then keeping room for another top flight free agent the next year.  

With Howard you contend next year, and each year as long as you're together and don't burn out from age/injury.

With Davis, you're still a piece/couple of years away.

[Lucky17]

I guess the next question is, who does NO target in free agency?

What franchise-level free agents would elect to sign up with the Hornets, who will have little more than Davis and presumably Eric Gordon to build around?

Deron Williams. No doubt about it.

Think he'll go for that? That team will still be .500 at best, won't it?

[Kane3387]

i wonder who Rashard Lewis will go to once he is waived?

[Kane3387]

I guess the next question is, who does NO target in free agency?

What franchise-level free agents would elect to sign up with the Hornets, who will have little more than Davis and presumably Eric Gordon to build around?

Deron Williams. No doubt about it.

Think he'll go for that? That team will still be .500 at best, won't it?

What could Orlando get that is better then Anthony Davis on a rookie contract? If you are Orlando you have to do that deal. Assuming for NO Williams would come to and you keep Gordon.

[ManUp]

Good deal for both sides.

Washington gets decent players at the price of an extra year.

No saves money.

[indeedproceed]

I guess the next question is, who does NO target in free agency?

What franchise-level free agents would elect to sign up with the Hornets, who will have little more than Davis and presumably Eric Gordon to build around?

Deron Williams. No doubt about it.

Think he'll go for that? That team will still be .500 at best, won't it?

And a franchise in a considerable amount of turmoil, in a town that doesn't seem to love them too much, that is still rebuilding on top of it all.

Or, he could go to the Mavericks with arguably the best owner in the NBA, a first ballot HOF'er, and all the money/amenities/love he can handle.