Sources: Ariza to Hornets in four-team trade

[Chrispy]

Four NBA teams have agreed to a five-player trade that will send Trevor Ariza to the New Orleans Hornets and Darren Collison to the Indiana Pacers, two league sources said.

In the proposed deal, the Houston Rockets will send Ariza to the Hornets, who in turn will send Collison and James Posey to the Pacers.

The Pacers will send Troy Murphy to the New Jersey Nets. And the Nets will send Courtney Lee to the Rockets.

According to the sources, the Rockets, Hornets, Pacers and Nets have agreed to the details of the trade and are awaiting a trade call with the league this afternoon to make it official.

The Hornets didn't stop there. NBA front office sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that in a separate deal, the team agreed to send swingman Julian Wright to Toronto for Raptors guard Marco Belinelli. That deal, like the four-team trade, was also expected to be completed Wednesday.

The four-team deal could fill some long-term needs for the Hornets, Pacers and Nets, as well as provide needed salary relief for the Rockets.

For the Hornets, while moving Collison leaves the team without a credible backup for Chris Paul, the addition of Ariza gives them a young, athletic wing entering his prime.

The Hornets are hoping that the addition of Ariza addresses Paul's concerns about the team's commitment to winning by showing that they're willing to spend money to get better. Ariza signed a six year, $35 million deal with the Rockets last summer.

For the Pacers, landing Collison gives them the young starting point guard they've been looking for and adds another piece to a young core of players including Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and promising rookies Paul George and Lance Stephenson.

The Pacers did take on the last two years and $13 million of Posey's contract, but the deal also sliced another $4 million off the team's overall payroll.

In Murphy, the Nets get the veteran big man that new coach Avery Johnson has been coveting. Murphy is also on the last year of his contract, which could make him an important trading chip for the Nets at the 2011 trade deadline.

For the Rockets, the move is basically a large salary dump. This summer the Rockets spent a lot of cash signing Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry and Brad Miller to free agent contracts and their payroll ballooned. Before the trade, the team was bracing for a $8 million plus luxury tax hit. This deal saves them $28 million on the life of the contract and roughly $10 million (when you factor in luxury tax payments) this season.

Chad Ford covers the NBA and NBA Draft for ESPN Insider.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5455472

 

[Rudi]

Collison is going to put up some numbers on the Pacers. Mark it down. He was great replacing Paul last year, and he's got a few dudes to pass to now as well.

 

[Dan The Man]

I don't get this deal for the Hornets.

 

[Archer]

THANK YOU GOD

 

[stevsta]

I don't get this deal for the Hornets.

they are hoping the addition of ariza will make paul think there making improvements and the departure of collison showing they are committed to him

 

[Primetime]

I like the move for the Hornets as a way of convincing CP3 they are trying to make the organization more of a contender than a pretender. I'm a big Ariza fan and the Lakers made a mistake not going after him more than they did.

 

[ralaw]

Ariza isn't the answer to Paul's concerns. Ariza is a good team's third option at best. They should have kept Collison, because in 2 years Paul will be gone anyways.

 

[USCChifan]

Was Ariza the best offer they could get for Collison? Courtney is a big downgrade from Ariza, but the Pacers and Nets come out as bandits in this deal

 

[Primetime]

Was Ariza the best offer they could get for Collison? Courtney is a big downgrade from Ariza, but the Pacers and Nets come out as bandits in this deal

Rockets didn't care about an upgrade so much as the money they are going to save. They were in big with luxury tax and this really helped them out in that aspect.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

SPARTA, NEW JERSEY'S GOLDEN BOY IS COMING HOME!!!!

 

[Miami Flash15]

Collison going to go big things with Granger in Indy.

Not that great of a deal but I think they just did it to show Paul that they're trying to get him support. However, that isn't what he needed.

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Ariza isn't the answer to Paul's concerns. Ariza is a good team's third option at best. They should have kept Collison, because in 2 years Paul will be gone anyways.

Ariza likely will be their 3rd option if not 4th on offense. The front office in NO probably thinks they have a chance to compete and they do need help on the wing a lot more than they need a back up point.



Rockets save a lot of money for a little bit less production.

Nets get an expiring I guess, they could use Murphy in the front court but I don't think they're too concerned about that.

Indy is self explanatory.

 

[KNUBB]

Hornets also got rid of Julian Wright for Marco Belinelli. With those two bad contracts off the book it gives the Hornets just a little bit more room to play with. Ariza will be the 3rd Option depending of Marcus Thornton's play. Thornton could easily be the primary scorer on this team. As of now though the scoring options are as such.

1. CP3
2. David West
3. Marcus Thornton
4. Trevor Ariza
5. Okafor

The Hornets have been in desperate need of a good wing play for quite a few years. This is definitely a good move.

As for Collison I am happy he is gonna get the opportunity to shine somewhere. He is a really good player that would have been stuck in CP3's shadow.

 

[James2Stapleton]

Does this mean Hansbrough is going to start at the 4?

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Hornets also got rid of Julian Wright for Marco Belinelli. With those two bad contracts off the book it gives the Hornets just a little bit more room to play with. Ariza will be the 3rd Option depending of Marcus Thornton's play. Thornton could easily be the primary scorer on this team. As of now though the scoring options are as such.

There is very little difference in the "bad contract" of Julian Wright and Marco Bellinelli. That move had nothing to do with cap relief..

 

[ralaw]

Hornets also got rid of Julian Wright for Marco Belinelli. With those two bad contracts off the book it gives the Hornets just a little bit more room to play with. Ariza will be the 3rd Option depending of Marcus Thornton's play. Thornton could easily be the primary scorer on this team. As of now though the scoring options are as such.

1. CP3
2. David West
3. Marcus Thornton
4. Trevor Ariza
5. Okafor

The Hornets have been in desperate need of a good wing play for quite a few years. This is definitely a good move.

As for Collison I am happy he is gonna get the opportunity to shine somewhere. He is a really good player that would have been stuck in CP3's shadow.

Any team Thornton is the #1 option on would be a lottery team. The Hornets have needed a wing, but I hope they also understand that a nucleus of West, Thornton, Ariza and Okafor isn't going to compete with the top teams in the league. If they want CP to stay I'd hope they're planning on packaging Ariza and some pieces for Melo.

They should take what happened to the Cavs as a blueprint. Don't bring in a bunch of marginal to decent players, take on bad contracts and expect to keep your superstar......trade him before you lose him for nothing.

 

[KNUBB]

Any team Thornton is the #1 option on would be a lottery team. The Hornets have needed a wing, but I hope they also understand that a nucleus of West, Thornton, Ariza and Okafor isn't going to compete with the top teams in the league. If they want CP to stay I'd hope they're planning on packaging Ariza and some pieces for Melo.

They should take what happened to the Cavs as a blueprint. Don't bring in a bunch of marginal to decent players, take on bad contracts and expect to keep your superstar......trade him before you lose him for nothing.

Marcus Thornton off the bench averaged 14.5 points off the bench and 21.3 pts in games that he started it. Have you ever seen the kid play. Dude is a scorer. You are talking to someone who follows the Hornets religiously. So until you bring some facts in here then you can


:stfu:



He scored 37 points vs. the Cavs with LeBron.

 

[ralaw]

Marcus Thornton off the bench averaged 14.5 points off the bench and 21.3 pts in games that he started it. Have you ever seen the kid play. Dude is a scorer. You are talking to someone who follows the Hornets religiously. So until you bring some facts in here then you can


:stfu:



He scored 37 points vs. the Cavs with LeBron.

I knew you'd throw out the "I follow the Hornets...don't tell me nothing" line, as if that proves anything. I'm wondering if this is the time when I should throw out the "Your a homer line!!11!!. There is a difference between being a scorer and being a primary scorer/#1 option on a team. If you think a guy who scores 14ppg and 21ppg in stints can be a primary #1 option on a legit team than you must think Flip Murray could be the same.

There are guys who are great at what they do within the role that they're supposed to do it in, but being a primary #1 go to scorer on a successful (ie championship contender) team is a whole different ballgame. I'm sure Thornton could put up 20ppg as the primary scorer on a mediocre team, but he'd probably be doing it with a poor efficiency and at the end of the day that doesn't accomplish or mean much. Thornton is good and at his best in the role that he's currently in, which is being a 3rd/4th option, while playing along a good pg and pf that can take some of the pressure/attention off of him.

LOL, at you point of "he scored 37 against the Cavs when Lebron was playing (does that mean LeBron was actually on the court"?) Wow, that is awesome. Dana Barros once scored 50 when Hakeem Olajuwon was on the Rockets!!11!

 

[KNUBB]

I knew you'd throw out the "I follow the Hornets...don't tell me nothing" line, as if that proves anything. I'm wondering if this is the time when I should throw out the "Your a homer line!!11!!. There is a difference between being a scorer and being a primary scorer/#1 option on a team. If you think a guy who scores 14ppg and 21ppg in stints can be a primary #1 option on a legit team than you must think Flip Murray could be the same.

There are guys who are great at what they do within the role that they're supposed to do it in, but being a primary #1 go to scorer on a successful (ie championship contender) team is a whole different ballgame. I'm sure Thornton could put up 20ppg as the primary scorer on a mediocre team, but he'd probably be doing it with a poor efficiency and at the end of the day that doesn't accomplish or mean much. Thornton is good and at his best in the role that he's currently in, which is being a 3rd/4th option, while playing along a good pg and pf that can take some of the pressure/attention off of him.

LOL, at you point of "he scored 37 against the Cavs when Lebron was playing (does that mean LeBron was actually on the court"?) Wow, that is awesome. Dana Barros once scored 50 when Hakeem Olajuwon was on the Rockets!!11!

I am a realist and will be the 1st person to tell you that the Hornets still have a long way to go, but Thornton is used to being the primary scorer. I said he is capable of being the primary scorer not that he is the primary scorer. So you are saying that Thornton would not be as productive on any contending team lets say San Antonio(They may be getting old, but they are always in the playoffs) you are saying he would not be able to put up the production he currently does. AND yes Thornton made Bron Bron look silly on quite a few occasions with steals for fast breaks and shots in LeBron's face. Dude was a rookie. It seems as if you are failing to realize that this guy is fully capable of being a #1 option. Gonna have to show you then.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om4JY__bV2o[/ame]

 

[ralaw]

I am a realist and will be the 1st person to tell you that the Hornets still have a long way to go, but Thornton is used to being the primary scorer.


I said he is capable of being the primary scorer not that he is the primary scorer.

You contradicted yourself here, because at first you said that, "Thornton is used to being the primary scorer," and than you said, ".......not that he is the primary scorer"

However, that doesn't matter. My point is that Thornton is fully capable of being a primary scorer, but on a lottery team. If Thornton is you're #1 option and in most cases that means he's your best player (or at least 2nd best), than that team is going to have problems. I'm not saying he's a bad player, because he's an excellent 3rd/4rd/5th option role player. He could get better, but right now I would not want him as my favorite teams' primary scorer....at least if I had hopes of my team contending.

So you are saying that Thornton would not be as productive on any contending team lets say San Antonio(They may be getting old, but they are always in the playoffs) you are saying he would not be able to put up the production he currently does.

Thornton on the Spurs would be the 4th/5th/6th option..... not the primary #1 option/scorer. If you say he's the primary scorer than you're saying that he's the best scorer. With the Spurs he'd be competing with Jefferson and George Hill to be the 4th/5th/6th option. So, no I say he wouldn't be able to put up 20ppg+ on the Spurs and that team still be able to contend. Actually, I can't think of any contending team that he would be the 3rd option let alone the primary scorer on.

Again, I said if he's your primary option your team is going to be in the lottery. Look around the league and at history at contending teams. Every contending team has/had a perennial all-star/superstar player as the leading primary scorer. Thornton isn't at that level.

AND yes Thornton made Bron Bron look silly on quite a few occasions with steals for fast breaks and shots in LeBron's face. Dude was a rookie.

I'd like to see him do it as the primary scorer and primary player the defense focuses on night in and night out before a crown him. I'd be willing to bet if James locked down on him most of that wouldn't have happened. He had a good game, but that doesn't equate to being capable of being the #1 option on a contending team.

It seems as if you are failing to realize that this guy is fully capable of being a #1 option. Gonna have to show you then.

highlight tape

You're showing me a highlight tape to prove your point?