The Hornets are clearing the decks for their new players as they've traded point guard Jarrett Jack to the Warriors for the rights to Bosnian forward Edin Bavcic.
Bavcic was part of a trade Tuesday that sent Dorell Wright to Philadelphia and now is re-routed to the Warriors in a three team trade as his rights have been dealt to New Orleans along with center Daryl Watkins for Jack. Bavcic is a 2006 second round draft pick of the Raptors. He has never played in the NBA, nor is likely to.
The trade clears $5.4 million off of the Hornets' cap and gives them more space to match Eric Gordon's max offer sheet from the Suns.
Jack tweeted this Wednesday shortly after word of the trade broke:
Jack, 28, is a quality backup point guard that was thrust into more of a starting role last season in New Orleans after Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers. He averaged a career-high 15.6 points and 6.3 assists per game while making 39 starts and appearing in 45 games. With the Warriors, he's likely to backup Stephen Curry.
"This is difficult because Jarrett is a hard worker and his leadership on and off the court will be missed," said Hornets General Manager Dell Demps in a press release. "This trade presents an opportunity for our young core to continue to develop."
The Hornets were looking to make space for Austin Rivers to assume starting duties -- or Greivis Vasquez -- as the team transitions into a major rebuilding project centered around Rivers, No. 1 pick Anthony Davis and Gordon.