A Protected Future Pick Brought Brown to Los Angeles
The Clippers traded a conditional second-round selection in the 2014 NBA draft for Bobby Brown on January 26, 2010. New Orleans had used the guard earlier that season but accepted the possibility of a future selection rather than keeping him in its backcourt. The pick was protected through No. 55, meaning the Hornets would receive it only if it landed among the last five places of the second round. The Clippers needed another inexpensive reserve behind their more prominent ball handlers while moving through a difficult season.
Brown Gave the Clippers Twenty-Three Games
Brown appeared in 23 Los Angeles regular-season games following the deal, logging 191 minutes and 70 points. He added 42 assists with no starts, averaging roughly eight minutes per appearance. This was legitimate reserve point-guard work, though hardly a long-term solution. The 22 games and 145 points he produced for New Orleans earlier in 2009-10 belong to the franchise that sent him away. His later professional career abroad and eventual return to Houston several seasons afterward are likewise separate from the value Los Angeles purchased in January 2010.
The Conditional Selection Ultimately Became No. 58
The future choice eventually became the No. 58 pick in 2014, after its top-55 protection allowed it to transfer. Historical draft-chain records identify Jordan McRae as the player selected at that position. New Orleans, however, did not retain the pick until the draft: later in 2010 it transferred the selection to San Antonio as payment for Curtis Jerrells. McRae therefore was not a Hornets draft acquisition from this transaction, and his NBA playing record cannot be treated as New Orleans production. The receiving club's real benefit was the tradable pick it obtained.
A Short Guard Rental Compared With a Transferable Draft Asset
Los Angeles paid an eventual draft selection for a few months of backup-guard availability. Brown played only 191 minutes, and he did not return as a lasting Clippers contributor. New Orleans turned him into a pick that retained value and could be spent in another transaction, rather than letting the opportunity evaporate. The initial Hornets B+ grade may overstate an eventual late-second-round asset, but the franchise did realize a concrete pick and then put it to use. A smaller Hornets advantage survives when both receiving-team outcomes are weighed carefully.
Final Verdict
Pelicans Win. The New Orleans Hornets receive B- for a 2014 second-round pick that ultimately conveyed at No. 58 and could be moved again. Los Angeles receives C for Bobby Brown's 23 games, 191 minutes and 70 points. Jordan McRae was selected only after New Orleans traded the pick onward, so his NBA career is not Hornets return.