With just a week remaining before the start of training camp, new President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers Rod Thorn has made his first move at the helm by trading G Willie Green and F Jason Smith to the New Orleans Hornets for F Darius Songaila and F/C Craig Brackins.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, while with the New Jersey Nets, Thorn had targeted Brackins in the latter portion of the first round during the June draft. The 6’10” 230 pound Power Forward out of Iowa State was drafted with the 21st pick in the 2010 draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Brackins draft day rights were then traded along with the rights to F Quincy Pondexter to the New Orleans Hornets for the rights to C Cole Aldrich and veteran shooting guard Morris Peterson.
Brackins had an outstanding sophomore season at Iowa State in which he averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. After being projected as a potential lottery pick in the 2009 draft, he decided to return to Iowa State for his junior season in which he averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
The 22-year old still needs to add size to his frame and projects as just an average athlete at the professional level. He has a very strong offensive arsenal of moves and solid footwork, but his post defense is still a work in progress. Brackins also needs to work on his toughness and consistency in order to develop into a solid pro.
Songaila is joining his 4th NBA team and will be entering his 8th NBA season. The 6’9” 240 pound forward from Lithuania will bring much needed toughness and energy to the Sixers bench. Songaila has one year remaining on his contract and is due $4.8 million for the upcoming season.
The Hornets acquire essentially two expiring contracts in Willie Green and Jason Smith. Green spent 7 seasons in Philadelphia and averaged 9.4 points per game. He was often criticized for his style of play and was forced to play in a starting role for much of his career. With the drafting of SG Evan Turner and the acquisition of G Jodie Meeks last Spring, Green was expected to see his minutes diminish in Philadelphia this season.
Smith was the #20 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft out of Colorado State. After a strong rookie season, he tore the ACL in his left knee during the Sixers 2008 Summer League in Las Vegas. Since the injury he failed to regain regular minutes in the Sixers rotation.
The Sixers and Hornets will get a chance to see their new acquisitions starting next week as training camps begin across the league.
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