Half-way through the 2008-09 season the Hornets attempted to trade center Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma, but things did not work out. The Thunder rescinded the trade due to a toe injury and sent Chandler back to New Orleans. While most Hornets fans were happy to get Chandler back, the franchise’s management obviously had other things in mind as they continue offering their starting center on the trade market.

Yesterday, the Hornets announced that they were able to agree on a trade that sends Tyson Chandler to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Emeka Okafor. Although Charlotte spent a lot of time trying to make Okafor the franchise centerpiece it seems like it was not meant to be. Despite his excellent low-post defense he never managed to become a force on the offensive end of the floor. In 2008-09, the 26-year old center averaged 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Unlike Okafor who played in all 82 regular games, Chandler was struggling with different foot injuries throughout most of the year. Nonetheless, he was able to post season averages of 8.8 points, 8.7 rebound and 1.2 blocks per contest in a total of 45 regular season appearances.

Even though both players have the same age, play the same position and have similar stats lines the New Orleans Hornets appear to benefit more from the move than the Bobcats. More specifically, many experts around the league believe that Chandler may have already hit the ceiling of his potential while Okafor could still become a dominant force in the NBA. Moreover, it seems reasonable to assume that playing with All-Star Chris Paul will result in Okafor getting a few easy points each game.

You can watch all games of the Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of live NBA streaming.