On Wednesday afternoon, a four-team deal was consummated that should keep Chris Paul in New Orleans.
The two players at the heart of the deal were point guard Darren Collison, who was dealt to the Indiana Pacers, and swingman Trevor Ariza, who was traded to New Orleans. Also headed to the Pacers is wing James Posey. The Pacers dealt forward Troy Murphy to the New Jersey Nets, who sent guard Courtney Lee to the Rockets to complete the five-player move.
In a separate move on Wednesday, the Hornets traded swingman Julian Wright to Toronto for Raptors guard Marco Belinelli.
These aren't premier players, but there could be widespread fantasy implications.
Collison emerged last year in the absense of Paul as a legitimate starting point guard in the league, and will get a chance to be the man in Indianapolis. This could see his stock, as well as that of Danny Granger, go up significantly. This is an enormous upgrade at a position that has been a source of frustration in Indy for almost 20 years.
Ariza going to New Orleans brings a versatile player who's role could evolve game-by-game. If Paul is healthy, he could see his fantasy impact go up as well.
Murphy will be a good compliment to the young players in New Jersey and could see his scoring go up playing outside the paint. The Nets have players that will compliment Murphy's game well.
