It was announced earlier today that the Hornets traded away veteran GF Rasual Butler for a future conditional second round pick.  Butler is in the final year of his contract and he is penciled in to make approximately $3.9 million this season.  It was clearly a cost-cutting move for the Hornets. Due to the dollar-for-dollar tax that is imposed when over the luxury tax threshold, this move saves the Hornets nearly $8 million total.

The seven-year veteran Butler seemed to have found his niche with the Hornets this past season.  In 2008-09, Butler enjoyed career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and minutes per game.  As the starting 2-guard he was relied upon for slashing and to keep the defense honest with his ability to hit the long-ball.  Butler really elevated his game after the All-Star break and put up a steady 13.6 points and 3.8 board per contest.  Reading between the lines, this move points towards a cautious optimism in rookie guard Marcus Thornton.  Also expect Devin Brown to see a spike in playing time and assuming his maturation continues, Coach Scott may entertain the notion of sliding Posey to SG and letting Wright step in at SF.

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3. Vegas Take-Aways
4. Tyson Chandler to the Bobcats for Emeka Okafor?
5. Hornets Offseason Progress Report