According to Marc Stein (hat tips to Citizens regulan and BDfro), the Clippers have traded a conditional second round pick to the Hornets for point guard Bobby Brown, paving the way for lots of 'New Edition' and Whitney Houston jokes the rest of the season. The trade is not yet official.
This is one of those MDsr specials, a la Cheikh Samb, Hassan Adams and Alex Acker last year. The Clippers are helping the Hornets get under the luxury tax threshold, and in so doing reap a $5M or so payout when the taxes are distributed at the end of the season. In exchange, the Hornets will send enough cash to cover Brown's salary for the rest of the season, and maybe even a little extra. It amounts to a free look at Brown the rest of the season, or as long as the Clippers like.
Brown was a local star at Westchester High where he played with the aforementioned Adams and Trevor Ariza, and then he went on to play at Cal State Fullerton. He went undrafted out of college, and went to Europe for one season where he won a German League championship with Alba Berlin. That earned him a trip back to the US when he signed a two year minimum deal with Sacramento two summers ago. He's since been traded to Minnesota, then New Orleans, and now the Clippers. Truth be told, he hasn't done enough anywhere to make me think he can stick in the NBA. He's a much less intriguing prospect than say, Mike Taylor, IMHO.
The Clippers are already at the maximum 15 on the roster, so this trade likely sends JamesOn Curry back to the D-League after 4 seconds in the NBA. Poor guy. I wonder what the record is for shortest NBA career?
And since Brown's salary will likely be covered by the cash coming from New Orleans in the deal, the Clippers won't hesitate to waive him if they see an opportunity to upgrade and they need a roster spot. MDsr spent a few years on Wall Street between baskeball gigs, and he's a wheeler-dealer by nature. Brown may serve a purpose while Telfair is out, as a quicker, better ball handler than Mardy Collins. But he's unlikely to be more than a stop gap, and I don't feel like this is the last transaction we'll see.