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As New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps pushed to work out the specifics of a contract offer last week, Coach Monty Williams talked extensively with Orlando Magic restricted free-agent power forward Ryan Anderson to convince him to join New Orleans. Impressed with Williams’ plans, Anderson initially accepted the Hornets’ four-year, $36 million offer sheet before the Magic stepped in to facilitate a sign-and-trade agreement with New Orleans on Sunday.
As part of the deal, the Hornets agreed to trade forward Gustavo Ayon to Orlando. The trade will be finalized Wednesday, when the league’s trade moratorium on player transactions ends.
“What he likes about New Orleans, I say first and foremost is Monty,” Anderson’s agent, Chris Emens, said Monday. “He thinks Monty is a great basketball mind, really a great communicator, and I think they have a common bond. They talked extensively during this process.
“I think one of the things that certainly helps make Monty a standout among NBA coaches is that he’s very invested in his players, not just professionally but personally. I think players feel that.”
— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune
