Clearing Out Malcontents: Houston Rockets Ditch Bonzi Wells & Mike James, Acquire Bobby Jackson From New Orleans Hornets

ESPN.com is reporting the following:

Sources have told ESPN.com that the Hornets and Houston Rockets were in final discussions Thursday on a multi-player deal that would send Mike James and Bonzi Wells to New Orleans for Bobby Jackson, Adam Haluska and a second-round draft pick.

My Quick Take: Add New Orleans and Houston to the list of Western Conference clubs who have tinkered with their roster via trade.

The Hornets, who sport an impressive 37-12 record, are hoping Wells and James will add life to their anemic bench. Second unit scoring has been a season-long issue.

The financial implications are mixed. Wells’ modest three million dollar salary expires in July, so there’s little risk taking on the temperamental forward. James, however, is on the books for two more years at 13 million dollars.

Keeping this duo happy could present a challenge for Coach Scott. Wells and James are known league-wide as pouters. And both have clashed with past teammates and coaches.

The Rockets achieved two things with this trade. First, swapping James’s long-term deal for Jackson’s expiring contract saves them millions of dollars. And James had been a fixture on Rick Adelman’s bench, collecting several DNPs-CD (did not play coaches decision) over the last few weeks.

Second, they cleared a logjam on their bench, which could’ve created issues. But give Wells some credit for bouncing back nicely after last season’s struggles

Winner: Houston. The Rockets got a draft pick and expiring contract for a malcontent in James and a reserve.

New Orleans or Houston? Who wins this trade? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts and come back to HoopsVibe’s NBA blog for more deadline day coverage.