lthough Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower initially said addressing the team's frontcourt depth was a priority in free agency, one of the first calls he made after midnight Wednesday morning was to guard Jannero Pargo's agent, Mark Bartelstein.
Teams could begin negotiating with free agents at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, but players cannot sign contracts until July 8. "I talked with Jeff, and they remain interested in Jannero," Bartelstein said. "But he said they still have things to work out with their roster."
Bower could be working on a trade before any contract offer is extended to a free agent. Multiple league sources said last week the Hornets have been shopping starting center Tyson Chandler. In addition, New Orleans could be interested in moving one of their veteran guards -- Morris Peterson, Antonio Daniels or Devin Brown -- in a trade. Bower declined to discuss any trade discussions.
In last week's draft, the Hornets selected UCLA point guard Darren Collison with the 21st overall pick in the first round, and they acquired shooting guard Marcus Thornton of LSU in a trade with the Miami Heat after he was selected in the second round.
Bower and Bartelstein were involved in preliminary talks regarding Pargo before the draft, permissible under league rules because Pargo played in Russia last season after he was unable to reach a contract agreement with the Hornets .
In 2007-08, when the Hornets won a franchise-record 56 games and came within a victory of advancing to the Western Conference finals, Pargo played in 80 games and averaged 8.1 points. The Hornets often effectively used a small lineup that featured starting point guard Chris Paul and Pargo together.
Coach Byron Scott said last week Pargo is not out of consideration, although the Hornets are overstacked at shooting guard with starter Rasual Butler and reserves Peterson, Brown and Thornton.
Pargo is interested in reaching a contract agreement with any team quickly, Bartelstein said.
Other than Pargo, Bartelstein said, the Hornets inquired about free-agent frontcourt players Mikki Moore, Maceo Baston and Jake Voskuhl.
Moore, a 7-footer and 10-year veteran center, was signed by the Boston Celtics at midseason after he was waived by the Sacramento Kings.
Voskuhl, a 6-11, 255-pound power forward/center, is a nine-year veteran who played for the Toronto Raptors last season. He has a career 4.0 scoring average.
Baston, a 6-10, 230-pound power forward, played in 27 games and averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds last season with the Indiana Pacers.
All three players are unrestricted free agents.
Meanwhile, Tony Dutt, Brandon Bass' agent, said they had not heard from the Hornets on Wednesday morning, but he anticipated speaking with Bower later during the day or today.
Bass spent two seasons with the Hornets before playing the past two with the Dallas Mavericks. Through Dutt, Bass said the Hornets are one of the teams he is considering.
The Hornets also could be interested in veteran power forward Joe Smith, but his agent, Dan Fegan, could not be reached for comment.
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826-3407.
