Filed under: Hornets, Nets, Pacers, Rockets, NBA Rumors, NBA TransactionsThe New Orleans Hornets are working on a deal that would send promising point guard Darren Collison (right) to the Indiana Pacers for swingman Trevor Ariza from the Houston Rockets in a four-team trade that also includes the New Jersey Nets. ESPN.com's Chad Ford first reported the story.
Collison and the Hornets' albatross veteran, James Posey, will go to Indiana in the deal, with New Orleans getting back only Ariza. The Pacers would send shooting big man Troy Murphy to the Nets, who would ship young two-guard Courtney Lee to Houston. Ford reported the deal could be approved by the NBA as early as Wednesday.
The agent for Murphy and Lee, Dan Fegan, confirmed the pieces of the trade to FanHouse's Sam Amick on Wednesday afternoon.
Collison has the smallest salary of all the players in the deal, but will likely have the biggest impact on the court next season. Indiana has been searching for a credible up-tempo point guard for coach Jim O'Brien's entire tenure with the Pacers; T.J. Ford, acquired in 2008, has been ineffective and fell completely out of favor last season, bleeding minutes to Earl Watson and A.J. Price. Collison, a rookie last season, thrived during Chris Paul's injury absences, and is seen as one of the best young up-tempo playmakers in the league.
tweetcount_src = 'RT @FanHouse:'; tweetcount_via = false; tweetcount_size = 'small'; tweetcount_background = 'FFFFFF'; tweetcount_border = 'CCCCCC'; tweetcount_api_key = '1cf4e3b7f7f20406a9dd9d1b1edc0e41b4fc20d1b21cb19a6f169387c696d333'; The deal helps the Hornets by replacing Posey's wasted salary with Ariza, a defensive ace who adds much-needed athleticism to New Orleans' wing rotation. Ariza tried his hand as a high-possession gunner for the Rockets last season. It didn't go well. Being set up consistently by Paul will help Ariza's efficiency immediately. And of course, the Hornets almost had to make a trade this summer to help win back Paul's crying heart. Collison is the best non-CP3 asset on the roster, and trading him sends the signal Paul is not for sale.
Still, the Rockets, by sending away 2009's major free-agent acquisition in Ariza for the lower-profile Lee, who figures to back up Kevin Martin at shooting guard, have admitted the so-called Ariza Experiment didn't work. The mid-season acquisition of Martin, the continued employment of brilliant wing defender Shane Battier and the surprisingly solid debut of Chase Budinger certainly make Ariza expendable, and Lee is no slouch. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Commentsbaby gear
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