The Hornets have acquired 23-year old point guard Curtis Jerrells from the Spurs for a future 2nd round pick. Jerrells played in 50 games (all starts) for the Austin Toros of the D-League last season in which he averaged 40.2 minutes, 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Jerrells will be the #3 point guard on the Hornets this year behind Chris Paul and Willie Green. The Hornets have released Mustafa Shakur to make room for Jerrells on the roster.

UPDATE: (10/26/2010) – The Hornets have released Curtis Jerrells.

The Hornets have signed 29-year old center D.J. Mbenga. Mbenga played in 49 games (2 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 7.2 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 193 games (4 starts) in his NBA career so far and he has averaged 6.4 minutes, 1.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Mbenga gives the Hornets another big man as he is 7’0″, 245 pounds so I always like this kind of signing.

The Hornets have signed 30-year old PG/SG Jannero Pargo.  Pargo played in 63 games (5 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  He only shot 34.6% from the floor last season so the Hornets might want to limit his shots when he is on the court.  Pargo has now played in 378 games (18 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 15.8 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. 

UPDATE: (10/5/2010) – The Hornets have released Jannero Pargo.

The Hornets have acquired 29-year old SG Willie Green and 24-year old power forward Jason Smith from the 76ers for 32-year old power forward Darius Songaila and 22-year old rookie power forward Craig Brackins. Green played in 73 games (18 starts) for the 76ers last season and he averaged 21.3 minutes, 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 422 games (211 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.8 minutes, 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Green will likely swing between guard spots this year for the Hornets but he’s not a natural point guard. Jason Smith is a big guy at 7’0″, 240 pounds. He played in 56 games (2 starts) for the Sixers last season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Smith has now played in 132 games (3 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.4 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Smith has never gotten much of a chance to show what he can do in the NBA and the Hornets will give him bench minutes behind David West this year.

Darius Songaila played in 75 games (1 start) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. It was his only season with the Hornets. Craig Brackins was a first round pick of the Hornets this past June. This was a trade made with winning this year in mind so I like it for the Hornets.

The Hornets have invited 27-year old power forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu to training camp. Mensah-Bonsu played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Raptors and Rockets last season and he averaged 6.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 54 games (0 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 8.8 minutes, 3.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. This is another nice low risk move for the Hornets.

The Hornets have signed 23-year old small forward Joe Alexander to a partially guaranteed contract. Alexander missed most of last season due to a severe hamstring injury. He played in only 8 games (0 starts) for the Bulls last season and he averaged 3.6 minutes, 0.5 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Alexander has now played in 67 games (0 starts) in his two years in the NBA and he is averaging 11.1 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. This was a nice low risk signing for the Hornets as Alexander could help them off the bench if he can stay healthy.

The Hornets have invited 25-year old point guard D.J. Strawberry and 25-year old center Darryl Watkins to training camp. Strawberry played in 26 games for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season and he averaged 28.0 minutes, 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He last played in the NBA in 2007-08 with the Phoenix Suns. Strawberry has played in 33 games (0 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 8.2 minutes, 2.2 poinnts, 0.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He is a long shot to make the team. Watkins last played in the NBA also in the 2007-08 season but with the Kings. He has played in 9 games (0 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 7.9 minutes, 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Watkins will also face long odds in trying to make the Hornets.

The Hornets have signed 26-year old rookie point guard Mustafa Shakur who will likely be Chris Paul’s backup in 2010-11. Shakur played in 47 games (all starts) for the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League in which he averaged 37.9 minutes, 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. This was a good move for the Hornets and it didn’t likely cost them that much cash to ink Shakur.

The Hornets have acquired 24-year old shooting guard Marco Belinelli from the Raptors for 23-year old forward Julian Wright. Belinelli played in 66 games (1 start) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 17.0 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He has now played in 141 games (24 starts) in his three years in the NBA and he has averaged 15.9 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Belinelli has shot 38.8% from three point range so far in his NBA career so he will bring offense off the bench for the Hornets in 2010-11. Julian Wright has been a huge disappointment for the Hornets. He played in 68 games (14 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 12.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Wright played in 179 games (34 starts) in his three years with the Hornets and he averaged 12.8 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. I like this deal for the Hornets as Wright has been a huge bust for them.

The Hornets have acquired 25-year old SG/SF Trevor Ariza from the Rockets and they have sent 22-year old point guard Darren Collison and 33-year old small forward James Posey to the Pacers. The Nets have acquired power forward Troy Murphy from the Pacers and the Rockets have acquired SG/SF Courtney Lee to finish out this deal. Ariza played in 72 games (71 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He has now played in 383 games (123 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.1 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Ariza will compete with Marcus Thornton at SG and Peja Stojakovic at SF. I see him starting for the Hornets in 2010. The price was high though as Darren Collison is a outstanding player. He played in 76 games (37 starts) for the Hornets as a rookie last season and he averaged 27.8 minutes, 12.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Posey played in 77 games (2 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 22.5 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He played in 152 games (2 starts) in his two years with the Hornets and he averaged 25.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. This deal probably will make Chris Paul happy as Collison wasn’t going to play much for the Hornets in 2010-11 while Ariza will give them another finisher in the fast break.