Hornets and 76ers pull off four-man trade
The New Orleans Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers pulled off a four-player trade today.
The Hornets traded rookie Craig Brackins and Lithuanian centre Darius Songaila in exchange for 76ers centre Jason Smith and shooting guard Willie Green.
The 76ers had reportedly wanted to draft Brackins in the NBA draft in June but the Oklahoma City Thunder got to him first with the 21st pick. After the Thunder selected him, the 22-year-old
power forward out of Iowa State was immediately shipped to the Hornets. In his lone year as a college player, Brackins averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Darius Songaila is a seven-year NBA veteran out of Lithuania. The 32-year-old centre has hopped around the league significantly over his career. The 76ers will be the fifth different NBA
team for the 6ft 9in NBA player, who owns career averages of seven points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game.
The Hornets will acquire a 7ft center in Smith and a seven-year veteran in Green.
Smith, a 24-year-old from Colorado State University, will be entering his third year in the NBA. His solid college career, in which he recorded 24 double-doubles, second-most in school
history, has yet to translate to the NBA. He owns career averages of 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game.
Green has proven himself to be a serviceable guard after seven solid yet unspectacular seasons playing for the 76ers. His best statistical season came in 2007-08 when he averaged 12.4
points, 2.5 rebounds, and two assists in 26.6 minutes per game. He has also been productive in three playoff appearances, averaging 7.5 points in 20.7 minutes.
Neither the Hornets nor the 76ers enjoyed much success last year.
The Hornets finished the season with a 37-45 record, good for 11th place in the Western Conference while the 76ers were even worse, finishing in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with
a dismal record of 27-55.
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