Hello Guys,

I am here to breakdown each hornets player, so that it can help other hornets fans come up with reasonable trades for the hornets(offseason is the time of speculation, followed closely by the trade deadline HAHA)

I did this last year(over ATH) and would like to do it again there and here to see what kind of deals us(as fans) deem as acceptable for both sides.

To start, I think most people would consider Paul untouchable. Chouest has stated that Paul is going nowhere. So i’m not going to really analyze him, because he is a top 5 player in the NBA right now(even after the injuries).

Consider also that expirings will be viewed differently this year, because so many teams will have cap room, and with the looming possibility of a lockout, it may carry less value as compared to an expiring last year(right before the free agent bonanza).

That said, lets begin…

Peja Stojakovic – 15 336 000

> huge expiring, was hurt last season, mostly seen as deadweight around the league. Can shoot the ball, is a better defender the most people give him credit for, but is known to be soft around the league, which hugely affects his rep.

grade:C+ but eventually rises and peaks to a B+ right around the trade deadline

Emeka Okafor – 12 540 375

> a bulky person in the middle, has no go to move in the offense but still reliable in the offensive side. not a great post defender, but a great help defender from the weakside. great rebounder. Sets good picks, doesn’t have good hands, and largely seen as an OP center. (my opinion: he may be overpaid, but center’s who are reliable both on offense and defense are rare in the league)

grade: C+

David West – 8 287 500

> soft hands, great scorer, both from the low and high post. great pick and pop player. great FT% for a big man has developed into a pretty good passer. has a front loaded contract. an average rebounder(sucky if compared to his position), regularly a bad defensive player but when motivated transforms into a pretty solid one.

grade: B

Morris Peterson – 6 641 440

>great team guy, great professional, more than adequate 3 point shooter( excellent from the corner). average defender, uses size to cancel out slow footedness.  has not had a great statistical time in NOLA. Huge expiring but mostly seen as deadweight around the league.

grade: C

James Posey – 6 478 600

> was out of shape to start the season, and never really got back to the build he wanted or needed to excel. Will need to work hard during the offseason to develop into anything useful for the hornets, or for any trade partner. Bad percentages, but improved as a rebounder.

grade:D

Darius Songaila – 4 818 000

> a good mid range shooter, good FT shooter, good pick and roll defender. Not much of anything else. bad post, bad help defender. not a great rebounder or shot blocker. but is an expiring..

grade: C

Julian Wright – 2 858 056

> a good rebounder, has no reliable offensive move except for that spin move(which is still horrible). an OK on ball defender, a bad team defender. expiring contract.Mostly seen as a bust

grade: C

Darren Collison

> good on ball defender, good 3 pt and FT shooter, high assist rate, good scorer. has proven to be a capable starter. seen as a potential top 10 PG. his value is increased by the fact that the draft is not laden with PG talent…

grade: A

Marcus Thornton

> GREAT scorer. has a multitude of offensive moves at his disposal: runner, floater, fade away, 3 pt shot. Can finish at the rim, can find cracks in the defense, by moving efficiently and using picks effectively. Has gobs of potential untapped.

grade: B+

11th pick

> not much value because this draft is seen as a top 4 draft and everybody else. but contains a lot of big men..

grade: B

C is passable, D is not so good.

To finalize we have 9 trade assets(Peja, Okafor, West, Songaila, Wright, Peterson, Collison, Thornton, 11th pick) however keep in mind that expiring mean less this year than in previous years.

post trade possibilities via comments.

Okay, post away! I will post mine if i have any ideas.. Pls post reasons for both teams accepting the deal 🙂