After Byron Scott was rightfully fired, the New Orleans Hornets appear to be making their second major move of what is a very early NBA season. According to Rotoworld, the Hornets are discussing a deal that would send Emeka Okafor to the Kings for Kenny Thomas.

“The Kings are discussing a trade that would send Kenny Thomas to New Orleans in exchange for center Emeka Okafor. The move would be a salary dump for New Orleans, as Thomas’ $8.7 million is expiring this season. Okafor, on the other hand, is due about $62 million over the next five seasons.”

Even if this trade does not happen and the teams only reach the discussion phase, it is painfully obvious that now head coach Jeff Bower has given up on the year. At 3-7, the Hornets are a team in total transition. They have no bench to speak of, every single free agent pick (Peja, Mo Peterson, and James Posey) has been a huge disappointment, and now Chris Paul could be out several weeks with an ankle injury. Not only are they losing, but the games haven’t been close. Three out of their last four losses have been by 17, 16, and 20 points respectively. But with all that being said, does this trade make sense?

Even at 3-7, the Hornets do have a chance of making the playoffs. Right now the Kings and Rockets are pegged in as the 7th and 8th seeds. Do we really think they can last for the next 70 games? A healthy Chris Paul and David West along with Emeka Okafor could buy you an 8th seed in the West, but that shouldn’t be the answer. With little chance of making noise in May, maybe the Hornets should dump Okafor, land themselves in the lottery and pick amongst what is expected to be one of the deepest draft classes in years.

Now if I am the Kings, I do not touch Okafor with a ten foot pole. With the amount he is owed in the future, his production just does not equate that much money. Sacramento’s problem is not in the front court. Spencer Hawes and more specifically Jason Thompson have been on the rise and are seemingly reaching their potential. Okafor would detract from that progression. What the Kings need is another swingman that can play alongside Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans, not a center.

Jason’s take:

Was about to write about this so here’s my take.  The Hornets best bet is to tank this year, get a really high lottery pick and shed as many bad contracts as possible in the process.  Are they winning a title, or even a playoff series, with a core of Paul, West and Oakfor? No.  Paul will get pissed, turn down his 2012/13 option and flee the Big Easy as fast as he can  (effectively killing basketball in New Orleans.)  The Hornets have made the same mistake the Cavs did with LeBron.  They kept trying to put a band aid on their problems instead of surrounding their superstar, Paul, with young athletic talent he can grow with.  Look at what the Thunder have done.  Durant loves, and that’s an understatement, his teammates. Do you think he’s going anywhere when they are set up to have a dominant run?  Paul would be unhappy in the short term but cap space and throwing alley-oops to Derrick Favors would make him smile.

For the Kings…in a word yuck?  Have the Maloof’s really fooled themselves into thinking they have a good enough team to make a run now?  They have a nice young core (Evans, Thompson and Hawes) why would you take away playing time from them by trading for a mediocre injury prone defensive forward with a killer, understatement, contract.  Maybe, and that’s a giant maybe, you can make the 8 seed in the West with a starting 5 of Evans, Martin, Nocioni, Hawes/Thompson, Oakfor but isn’t that your ceiling?  Trading for Oakfor kills your cap space for the rest of eternity and essentially locks you into that group.

The NBA where stupidity happens.