Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Pelicans Win

New Orleans acquired Tyson Chandler for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith, pairing Chris Paul with the defensive, rebounding and vertical center who anchored the franchise’s 56-win 2007-08 team.

July 14, 2006 Chicago Bulls / New Orleans Pelicans Record confidence: High

Chicago Bulls Received

New Orleans Pelicans Received

Chicago Bulls

C-

New Orleans Pelicans

A+

Trade Analysis

New Orleans Needed a Defensive Center Beside Chris Paul

The Hornets had found their franchise point guard in Chris Paul and needed a center whose game could amplify his speed, passing and defensive pressure. Tyson Chandler had disappointed relative to his draft position in Chicago, but he was still only 23 and possessed the length, mobility and rebounding ability New Orleans lacked. The Hornets sent veteran P.J. Brown and young guard J.R. Smith, accepting Smith’s scoring upside in exchange for a cleaner roster fit. Chandler did not require post touches or isolation plays. He could sprint into screens, dive to the rim, control the glass and protect the paint. Those skills created a natural partnership with Paul and gave New Orleans a defensive identity capable of supporting a rising offense.

The Paul-Chandler Partnership Became an Elite Competitive Engine

Chandler’s best New Orleans season came in 2007-08, when the Hornets won 56 games, captured the Southwest Division and reached the conference semifinals. His screen setting and vertical spacing turned Paul’s pick-and-roll into one of the league’s most difficult actions to defend. On the other end, Chandler rebounded, challenged shots and gave the perimeter defenders confidence to apply pressure. His box-score scoring remained modest, but his efficiency and structural impact were substantial. New Orleans did not need him to become a traditional star. It needed him to make Paul’s strengths more dangerous and cover weaknesses elsewhere. The trade accomplished that objective at a high level and helped produce the strongest season in the franchise’s early New Orleans era.

Chicago Received a Veteran but Quickly Discarded the Upside Piece

Brown provided one season of dependable frontcourt minutes and veteran leadership for a Bulls team that reached the second round. That contribution prevents Chicago’s return from being completely empty. The larger problem was J.R. Smith. Chicago acquired a 20-year-old scorer with significant athletic and shooting potential, then traded him to Denver days later for Howard Eisley and two second-round picks. Smith developed into a long-term NBA scorer and Sixth Man of the Year elsewhere, but the Bulls captured almost none of that value. The original Chandler trade therefore cannot be defended by pointing to Smith’s later career. Chicago’s realized return was largely one Brown season and modest secondary assets, far below Chandler’s impact in New Orleans.

Chandler’s Later Career Confirms the Talent Evaluation Without Belonging Entirely to New Orleans

Chandler later became a Defensive Player of the Year and championship center in Dallas, evidence that New Orleans correctly identified a young player whose best basketball remained ahead. Those later achievements do not count fully as Hornets value because the franchise traded him in 2009. They still inform the process evaluation: the acquisition was not a fluke based on a brief hot stretch. Chandler’s tools and role were sustainable at the highest level. New Orleans received several prime development years and a major competitive peak before making a separate decision to move him. The A-plus grade rests on what he delivered with Paul, while his later success reinforces how sharply the Hornets understood his fit and age curve.

Chicago’s Decision Reflected a Change in Direction After Ben Wallace Arrived

The Bulls had signed Ben Wallace and no longer saw Chandler as the center of their frontcourt plan. Moving his contract for Brown created a veteran rotation and financial clarity. That context makes the trade understandable, particularly after Chandler’s inconsistent offense and injury concerns in Chicago. It does not make the outcome favorable. Wallace’s Bulls tenure declined quickly, Chandler improved in New Orleans and Smith’s upside was discarded almost immediately. Chicago solved a short-term roster overlap by surrendering two younger players whose later value exceeded the return. A C-minus captures Brown’s useful season and the logic of the moment while recognizing that the organization lost both the best direct player and the best secondary upside.

The Existing Pelicans Verdict Is Right but the Grades Should Widen

The prior record already said Pelicans Win, with New Orleans A and Chicago D-plus. The explicit verdict should remain, but the grades should become New Orleans A-plus and Chicago C-minus. Chandler’s fit with Paul, role on a 56-win division champion and prime-age value justify the top mark. Chicago’s Brown season was useful enough to avoid a D, even though the Smith reroute and Chandler’s growth made the outcome clearly poor. The revised grading scale better separates process from result. Chicago had a plausible reason to change centers; New Orleans made the superior talent and fit judgment and received the far more consequential competitive return.

Final Verdict

Pelicans Win — New Orleans A-plus, Chicago C-minus. Chandler became the defensive, rebounding and pick-and-roll partner who helped Chris Paul lead a 56-win division champion. Brown gave Chicago a useful veteran season, but the Bulls quickly rerouted Smith and retained little of his later upside. Chicago’s short-term logic prevents an F; New Orleans’ identification of a young center perfectly matched to its franchise guard earns the A-plus.

For Hardcore NBA Heads

How Tyson Chandler Unlocked Chris Paul’s First Great Contender

The 2006 trade worked because New Orleans evaluated interaction rather than isolated production. Chandler had not become a major scorer in Chicago, and Paul did not need another player who required the ball. He needed a center who could turn a screen into a scoring threat, finish above the rim, rebound missed shots and defend behind aggressive perimeter pressure. Chandler’s movement and length transformed Paul’s passing windows and gave the Hornets a dependable defensive backbone. Chicago was reshaping its frontcourt around Ben Wallace and chose the certainty of Brown, but it failed to retain Smith’s upside. The exchange shows how a player labeled disappointing in one system can become essential when his skills are paired with the correct creator and role.

Vertical Spacing Made Paul’s Passing Even More Dangerous

Chandler’s rim runs forced the weak-side defense to choose between tagging the center and staying attached to shooters. Paul could manipulate that choice with pace, hesitation and precise lob placement. Even when Chandler did not receive the pass, his dive created space for David West’s midrange game and perimeter shooters. This form of spacing does not appear in three-point totals, but it changes defensive geometry just as clearly. Chandler’s willingness to screen, sprint and finish without demanding post touches made him ideal for a young point guard who controlled every possession. The Hornets acquired a center whose offensive value came from magnifying Paul rather than competing with him.

Rebounding Allowed New Orleans to Play More Aggressively

Chandler’s work on the glass ended possessions and created transition opportunities for Paul. Perimeter defenders could pressure the ball knowing the center had the length and mobility to cover behind them. On offense, his rebounds generated extra chances without disrupting the team’s shot distribution. Those possessions mattered for a roster that relied heavily on Paul and West to create efficient offense. Chandler also handled many of the physical center matchups that would otherwise wear down the frontcourt. His rebounding was therefore both statistical production and lineup infrastructure. New Orleans became harder to score against and faster after misses because the acquired center controlled the first step of both transitions.

Brown’s Season Had Value but No Long-Term Multiplier

Brown started, defended and supplied veteran professionalism for a young Bulls team. Chicago won 49 games and reached the second round, so his contribution should not be dismissed. The limitation is that the value ended quickly. He did not become part of the next core, create premium trade capital or produce a competitive leap unique to his presence. Chandler, by contrast, became more valuable because his partnership with Paul improved both players and shaped the entire system. Trade returns are strongest when they multiply existing talent. Brown filled a role; Chandler changed what the Hornets could become. That difference separates C-minus from A-plus even before considering Smith’s lost upside.

The Smith Reroute Removed Chicago’s Best Chance to Balance the Deal

Smith was inconsistent and immature, but he was also a young guard with rare athleticism and deep shooting range. Had Chicago developed or later traded him for meaningful value, the original package would look more defensible. Instead, the Bulls moved him almost immediately for a modest return. Denver received years of scoring and eventually a major role-player asset, while Chicago’s connection to that value disappeared. This is an important grading principle: a team receives credit for what it realizes from an asset, not for what the asset later becomes after being surrendered again. Smith’s career demonstrates that Chicago possessed upside briefly, but the Bulls’ own follow-up decision prevented that upside from improving their side of the trade.

New Orleans Won Through Fit Before Chandler Reached His Full Peak

Chandler’s later championship and Defensive Player of the Year season came elsewhere, but New Orleans did not need those achievements to justify the trade. The Hornets received the best seasons of the early Paul era, including a division title and a near conference-final run. Chandler’s athletic prime began to emerge in the exact window when Paul became an MVP candidate. That timing produced high value even though the franchise later moved him. The A-plus grade recognizes a near-perfect acquisition relative to cost and roster need. New Orleans traded one veteran and one talented but unsettled guard for a center who became indispensable to its best team of the period.

Final Verdict

Pelicans Win. Chandler’s defense, rebounding and vertical partnership with Paul gave New Orleans a structural advantage that reached its peak in a 56-win season. Chicago received a useful year from Brown but failed to capture Smith’s later upside and watched Chandler become the superior long-term center. The trade was not merely a talent swap; it was a lesson in matching a young player’s specific strengths to the franchise star who could maximize them.

Research sources (7)