New Orleans Hornets get below luxury tax with trade of Bobby Brown

OAKLAND, CALIF. -- The New Orleans Hornets shipped seldom-used backup point guard Bobby Brown to the Los Angeles Clippers for a conditional 2014 second-round draft pick Tuesday and are now under the expected luxury-tax threshold.

Since the season began, the team has trimmed more than $7 million from its payroll via trades.

Brown has not been part of rotation of late. He has played in two of the past 12 games. The trade cut $736,420 off the payroll.

Monday's trade of shooting guard Devin Brown and his $1.1 million salary had left New Orleans approximately $425,000 over the expected tax limit of $69.9 million, for which the Hornets would have had to pay a dollar-for-dollar penalty to the NBA at season's end. Now by being under the cap, the Hornets will be in line for a $5 million bonus paid by the league to teams that are fiscally responsible and stay beneath the cap.

Bobby Brown, who averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 assists in 22 games this season, was obtained in late summer along with forward Darius Songaila from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for backup point guard Antonio Daniels, who is now out of the league.

"With today's move, we put ourselves in a position that is under the luxury-tax threshold while preserving our ability to maximize our results on the court and keeping our core intact, " Coach/General Manager Jeff Bower said in a statement released by the Hornets.

At one point last summer, the Hornets had the highest payroll in the league at more than $77 million, with a roster that was heavy with guards after the drafting of rookie Darren Collison and the acquisition of rookie Marcus Thornton in a draft-night deal with the Miami Heat.

But they successfully dealt shooting guard Rasual Butler ($3.945 million) to the Clippers, then two weeks ago shipped reserve center Hilton Armstrong ($2.801 million) to the Sacramento Kings.