KINGS & HORNETS SWITCH LANDRY, THORNTON
The New Orleans Hornets acquired combo forward Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings for shooting guard Marcus Thornton and cash.
What does it give the New Orleans Pelicans
The Hornets can use Landry's toughness in the paint, especially with the status of starting center Emeka Okafor up in the air due to a strained oblique (and with the team still in the West playoff hunt). Thornton never really found the favor of head coach Monty Williams, so moving him for an above-average big man here is a solid move. Landry's not-huge contract expires after this season. Expect him to play regularly and take many of Jason Smith's minutes.
What does it give the Sacramento Kings
With star combo guard Tyreke Evans gone for the next few weeks (if not longer) due to an ongoing foot problem, the Kings can really use Thornton's ability to produce instant offense at shooting guard. Like Landry, Thornton has an expiring contract, so this may be just a rental situation. That said, Sacto may well take a long look at the talented Thornton the rest of the season as a possible future starter at shooting guard (with Evans potentially moving to the point full-time). Thornton should challenge Jermaine Taylor for starts over the next month or so. Sacto also gets cash here while saving salary money (since Thornton doesn't earn as much as Landry), a nice bonus considering they're not playoff-bound.
Fantasy impact
