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On Thursday, the New Orleans Hornets added another weapon to their bench by trading for guard Bonzi Wells.

The Trade

• The Houston Rockets receive forward guard Bobby Jackson, guard Adam Haluska, and forward Sergei Lishouk.
• The Memphis Grizzlies receive forward Marcus Vinicius, center Malick Badiane and cash.
• The New Orleans Hornets receive guard Mike James and guard Bonzi Wells.

For the Houston Rockets

There’s some financial reasons for this trade, but it’s not significant enough for sports fans to really pay attention to, so we’ll go ahead and skip over that.

While it’s true that the Houston Rockets lost some firepower by trading away two valuable backcourt players, they did pick up someone that could help the team out tremendously.

Bobby Jackson is a true scorer. In fact, he might be too much of a scorer, but that’s fine for this team. When he’s on the court, more than likely Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming will be taking their breaks on the bench. He’ll have the green light to shoot with the second unit. He’ll also have the green light because of his familiarity with head coach Rick Adelman (Bobby Jackson played for him in Sacramento).

Not much is known about Adam Haluska and Sergei Lishouk, but they are prospects. Teams don’t really mind collecting those if they’re cheap.

For the Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are basically involved in this deal to pick up some extra cash and some extra prospects. Nothing too exciting here.

For the New Orleans Hornets

With so many teams in the Western Conference loading up for what appears to be the most competitive playoff series in NBA history, the New Orleans Hornets knew they had to upgrade. They went the same route as the San Antonio Spurs did by adding minor pieces who can contribute to the team’s success.

Mike James was thrown into the deal because the Houston Rockets wanted to get rid of his high salary. However, he can step into Bobby Jackson’s old role and provide the team with some scoring off the bench. If he’s in the right system, Mike James can be an explosive scorer.

Bonzi Wells was the key piece to this entire trade. His arrival should allow the New Orleans Hornets to attack from a few different ways now.

The 6′5, 210 pound guard should immediately step into the rotation, taking up the majority of backup minutes behind Morris Peterson and Peja Stojakovic. His ability to score in the low post should complement the outside shooting of the two starting wing players.

Also, in the playoffs, teams have been known to rely on a few “go to” plays. With Bonzi Wells on board, head coach Byron Scott can run an offensive set that has the guard posting up on the low blocks with Morris Peterson and Peja Stojakovic waiting on the perimeter for a kick out.

Closing Thoughts

This trade has made the best team in the Western Conference that much more potent.