Three-Time All-Star Added Through Sign-And-Trade with Pacers

July 12, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today that they have acquired forward Peja Stojakovic and cash considerations from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Andrew Betts.

“One of our top priorities this summer was to add a sharpshooting scorer who could stretch the defense and knock down shots off of penetration,” said General Manager Jeff Bower. “We’re thrilled that we added the best player available to fill that role.”

Stojakovic will begin his ninth NBA season as a member of the Hornets. The 6-10, 229-pound forward has compiled career averages of 18.4 points and 5.1 rebounds with a .461 field goal percentage, .399 three-point percentage and .894 free throw percentage. Stojakovic spent the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Sacramento Kings, but was traded to Indiana on Jan. 25, 2005. He finished last season averaging 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting .404 from three-point range in 40 games for the Pacers.

“Peja coming to the Hornets is perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition in the history of the franchise,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn. “Our fans deserve the best team possible on the floor when we start the 2006-07 season, and we’re off to a great start this summer in making that happen.”

Stojakovic was named to the Western Conference All-Star Team in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He was voted to the All-NBA Second Team in 2002-03 after averaging career-highs of 24.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. The Kings advanced to the playoffs every season during each of his seven full seasons there (they made the playoffs just once during the Sacramento era prior to his arrival) and he finished second in the voting for the 2001 NBA Most Improved Player Award. Stojakovic is also a two-time winner of the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend (2002 and 2003).

“I’ve watched Peja develop from an international star to a promising NBA rookie to an All-Star,” said Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott. “I’ve played against him, coached him and coached against him and I’ve always regarded him as a special player.”

Scott was an assistant coach in Sacramento during Stojakovic’s first two seasons (1998-99 and 1999-00) and played against him in Greece during the 1997-98 season (Scott’s Pananthinaikos team defeated Stojakovic’s PAOK team in the 1998 Greek Championship Series although Stojakovic was named MVP of the regular season).

Betts was originally acquired by the Hornets with the 50th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft. He has never appeared in a regular season game.