That's why they traded their No. 1 draft choice (Kansas forward Darrell Arthur, No. 27 overall) to Portland for cash considerations. They decided the long-term potential of Arthur or anyone else they could have drafted at No. 27 wouldn't be as useful next season as a veteran free agent who can bolster their shaky depth.

New Orleans is coming off a franchise-best 56-26 record, its first division title, and its first victory in a best-of-seven playoff series. All five starters are in or approaching their prime and are under contract. So the 27th-best prospect in the draft wasn't going to have much of an immediate impact.

"The biggest thing we were trying to do is have ourselves positioned to take advantage of the free agent market and to allow ourselves to investigate that very aggressively and to keep as much roster space flexibility as we could," general manager Jeff Bower said. "Heading into the summer and training camp, our objective was to put ourselves in position to help this team the quickest way possible and we felt this trade allowed us some avenues to pursue that could accomplish those goals."

The Hornets had previously sent their second-round draft choice to Houston in a trade, so all of their key newcomers will either come through free agent signings of trades.

"We're not anymore a team of the future; we're not looking two or three years down the line," coach Byron Scott said. "When we looked at the 27th pick and all of the guys we brought in, we tried to look at those guys objectively and look at if any of those guys could help us next year, immediately.

"It was our opinion that there really wasn't anyone there that could help us, so if we could trade the pick, sell the pick, the bigger picture is trying to get a veteran guy who can try to come in and help us right away."

Bower and Scott have compiled a list of free agents they'll pursue in early July.

"We're not in that situation anymore -- which we have been the last couple years -- of saying, 'This guy can help us down the road,'" Scott said. "Well, down the road for us (now) is 2008-09. It's not three or four years from now."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: The Hornets won six of their first seven playoff games against perennial Western Conference powerhouses Dallas and San Antonio. After beating the Mavericks, 4-1, they won the first two games against the Spurs at home. Though they lost four of the next five, ending their season, the Hornets, playing together in the playoffs for the first time, showed they could handle the pressure and intensity of the playoffs. The experience of going 7-5 in the postseason should prove to be a valuable asset should they earn a similar opportunity next season.

TURNING POINT: After a 29-point thrashing at the hands of the Lakers in early January, the Hornets won 13 of their next 16 games, including a benchmark, 132-130, double-overtime victory at Phoenix, to take the best record in the Western Conference into the All-Star Break. That accomplishment put the Hornets on the national radar and bolstered their confidence, which only grew during a successful All-Star Weekend in New Orleans and afterward.