The Hornets will send G Darren Collison and F James Posey to the Pacers and receive G/F Trevor Ariza from the Rockets, who will acquire G Courtney Lee from the Nets. The Nets will receive F/C Troy Murphy from the Pacers.

With franchise point guard Chris Paul suffering through an injury plagued season, Collison started 37 times at the lead position as a rookie out of UCLA last season and was mighty impressive, averaging 18.8 points and 9.1 assists in those games. He gives Indiana a potential All-Star point guard to team with All-Star small forward Danny Granger, while Posey gives them a strong veteran role player off the bench.

In Ariza, New Orleans gets an athletic swingman to team with Paul. Ariza averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists in the first of a 5-year, $34 million deal with Houston last season, but struggled with his shot, shooting only 39.4% from the floor in an advanced role. Houston will receive much needed cap relief by swapping Ariza for Lee.

Murphy is a big man valued for his ability to rebound and convert threes.  He should provide a nice stylistic compliment to the contrasting low-post game of C Brook Lopez.

Contrary to recent reports, the deal would not hinge on the Lakers’ ability to move guard Sasha Vujacic and his $5.4 million salary for next season.

Brown, 24, played the last season and a half with the Lakers after the team acquired him from the Charlotte Bobcats near the trade deadline in 2009. After playing a total of 74 games over three plus seasons spent with the Cavaliers (who drafted him 25th overall in the 2006 draft), Chicago Bulls, and Bobcats, Brown made a name for himself with the Lakers as he helped the team win consecutive championships. He emerged as a contributor off the bench during the playoffs two years ago and built on that last season, averaging 8.1 points in 20.7 minutes while appearing in all 82 games. In addition, he became a Lakers fan favorite and gained notoriety around the league because of his startling leaping ability and highlight-reel worthy dunks.

Last week Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team was “optimistic” that they would be able to retain Brown’s services.

Friday night ESPN’s Chris Broussard cited league sources in reporting that the Magic have replaced the Knicks atop Paul’s wish list. The sources credited the presence of All-Star center Dwight Howard and Paul’s realization that the Magic have superior trade pieces to the Knicks as the reasoning for the change in order.

The New Jersey Nets and Portland Trailblazers were also singled out as two of many teams who would make offers for the 3-time All-Star.

On Monday Paul is expected to meet with Hornets president Hugh Weber, as well as Dell Webber and Monty Williams, New Orleans’ new general manager and coach, respectively.  They will attempt to reaffirm his faith in the direction of the team, but Broussard wrote that “sources say he is fully expected to present New Orleans with a list of teams he would like to be traded to.”

Paul, 25, was limited to only 45 games last seasons, due in large part to recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery meant to repair a torn meniscus suffered in late January. The two prior seasons, however, saw Paul blossom into one of the league’s best players, as he averaged better than 21 points and 11 assists in each campaign.

Orlando would like to keep Redick, but a league source says that the offer might be “painful for the Magic to match.”

Redick, 26, was a modern college basketball legend at Duke before being selected 11th overall by the Magic in the 2006 draft. A tremendous three-point shooter, Redick struggled to receive consistent minutes in his first three seasons before earning a solid spot in the Orlando rotation last year. In 2010 he averaged a career-high 9.6 points per game on 40.5% shooting from long distance and showed improvement on the defensive end.

The report also says the Heat could look to retrieve a backup point guard from the Mavericks, in either J.J. Barea or Rodrigue Beaubois.

Haywood, 30, finished last season with Dallas after being dealt there from Washington near the trade deadline as part of an eight-player deal. He is a legit 7-footer who averaged 9.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.05 blocks in 77 total games last season, and would likely work well in tandem with either of unrestricted free agent power forwards Chris Bosh or Carlos Boozer, if the Heat manage to lure one of them to Miami.

Beasley, 21, is troubled, but he would give Dallas a talented young player with tantalizing offensive skills who is capable of playing both forward spots. Drafted by Miami with the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 draft, Beasley averaged 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 78 games last season.

O’Neal, 31, would give Dallas a more than serviceable big man to replace Haywood. O’Neal is a former star who was still good enough to give Miami 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.40 blocks in 70 games last year. Like Haywood, he is an unrestricted free agent, so any deal including the two would have to involve a sign-and-trade on both sides.