While we’re all marveling at the transformation we see in New Orleans, let’s not pretend that they are testing the Lakers — or likely even the Spurs or Mavericks — come the playoffs. The Hornets are much better, but not elite or really on that next tier yet.
The Hornets front office gets that, too.
Which is why they are looking for a trade, to move their one big chip — the expiring $15 million deal of Peja Stojakovic, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.
Broussard hits the bigger point — are the Hornets willing to throw in some young talent with Peja to make the pill go down easier for a trading partner? It’s hard to picture them having discussed Marcus Thornton in a deal — that’s a lot of potential to give away.
But what matters is not Iggy or the other guys that Broussard speculates about (Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Kevin Martin), there will be names floating around a lot as we move through the holidays.
What matters is that the Hornets are looking, are being aggressive. There were concerns with a stalled ownership sale that GM Dell Demps hands could be tied, but that does not seem to be the case. They may be really building something down on the bayou.
