A closer look at the Okafor trade

The Charlotte Bobcats have finally engaged in some offseason activity. After being quiet for most of the offseason, the Bobcats agreed to trade their first selection in franchise history to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler. The move does save the Bobcats a lot of money in the future and, perhaps, makes things easier for Bob Johnson to unload his share of the organization.

For most Bobcats fans, the move is a total shock. They felt that when the Bobcats signed Emeka Okafor to the long term contract, it meant him being an integral part of the future of the team. Since the inception of the franchise, many recognized Okafor as the face of the team. The face is gone, and that is the case with so many players the past few seasons.

If it is not apparent, this is a totally different looking Bobcats team since the years of Bernie Bickerstaff and Sam Vincent. Only three players were a part of Sam Vincent’s Bobcats team two seasons ago: Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, and Nazr Mohammed. The cosmetic surgeon, Larry Brown, has built what he feels is the best team he could produce under the circumstances. It is hard to argue, considering he helped the Bobcats vie for a playoff spot this past season.

Whether you agree or not with the trade, the fact is that the entire league is in a financial crisis. The Bobcats are in a larger crisis than most teams in the league who post good attendance numbers and are contending teams; they are the polar opposite. Their attendance is one of the league’s worst and until last season they were not considered anywhere close to a playoff contending team. Why tie yourself up for long term when you feel that this guy is not one of the league’s elite players?

Emeka Okafor counted for a large chunk of the Bobcats salary. To put things in perspective: Emeka Okafor and Gerald Wallace accounted for approximately 25 million dollars of the Bobcats cap space if Wallace decided to play another year in Charlotte. That’s not a good number considering Okafor had $13.5 million of that number. For players at that same dollar amount, he really was not putting up the kind of numbers expected. Chandler comes with slightly lower stats than Okafor and less of a long term contract.

One thing certain for these Bobcats, change is here and it looks to continue. Raymond Felton has a year left on his contract and if Okafor was shipped out in a salary move then you have to think that Raymond will not be back under the same circumstances. The first draft pick in Larry Brown’s regime was DJ Augustin, a point guard from Texas; if that does not paint the picture for the future then nothing will.