While Joe Dumars said the Pistons have coveted Brezec and Herrmann, the most compelling reason to execute the trade was for its salary-cap implications. Mohammed has three years left on the five-year contract he signed in July 2006. Counting what’s left of this season, that means Charlotte will assume almost $24 million of Mohammed’s contract.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are taking back two players whose contracts expire after this season. They are responsible for about $3.5 million the rest of this season for both players – about $2 million for Brezec and about $1.5 million for Herrmann – which represents a savings this season of roughly $900,000. That puts them $1.6 million under the luxury-tax threshold and would allow them – if a favorable situation arose – to sign a veteran free agent to a veteran’s minimum contract at some point and still avoid luxury-tax consequences. They did not have enough room to do that for a veteran with at least 10 years of service – a player who would get a guaranteed minimum of $770,000 – prior to the trade.

But Dumars said the deal was done for more than just the financial consequences.

“The financial ramifications are pretty significant for us,” he said. “It allows us great financial relief. But the fact we’re getting two players we like makes it even better for us. We talked to Charlotte about Herrmann earlier this season and had spoken to Charlotte last season about Brezec. So for this deal to come together today to get these two guys we like, it’s a really good deal for us and we feel fortunate to make the deal.”

Brezec and Herrmann, besides taking the Pistons’ quotient of international players from one to three – the Slovenian Brezec and Argentinian Herrmann join Senegal’s Cheikh Samb, who made his NBA Development League debut on Thursday, on the 15-man roster – bring more outside shooting to the Pistons than either Mohammed or Dupree offered.

“The reason we were interested in Brezec last year is he is a 7-1, almost 7-2 guy, who can step out and flat-out shoot the basketball. Just that length and size and ability to shoot the basketball is appealing to me, especially with the way the game is being played today, especially with the way we play as a team. In terms of Walter Herrmann … he has an energy and a toughness I like. That’s why we were interested in these guys.”

The 7-foot-1 Brezec, 28, is in his seventh NBA season, having spent the first three with Indiana. He was acquired by Charlotte in the expansion draft prior to the 2004-05 season and averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds in what was his best statistical season. He averaged 12.4 and 5.6 the following season before plunging to 5.0 and 3.2 last year when he was plagued by illness and a back injury.

Brezec had started 18 of Charlotte’s 20 games this season under first-year coach Sam Vincent, but usually got an early hook and averaged just 13.4 minutes, 1.9 points and 2.2 rebounds a game. Brezec has been a member of the Slovenian national team since he was 15.

The 6-foot-9 Herrmann, also 28, is in his second NBA season after a distinguished career in the Spanish professional leagues. As a rookie, he played sparingly in the first half of last season but came on late and averaged 9.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 48 games. In 17 games this season, Herrmann has averaged 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 35 percent from the 3-point arc, from where 26 of his 65 attempts have been launched. When Charlotte moved him into the starting lineup for the last several weeks of the 2006-07 season, he flourished, shooting 53 percent from the field and draining 46 percent from the 3-point line.

Mohammed has averaged 11 minutes, 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21 Pistons games this season. In 51 games last season, he averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.2 minutes. Mohammed began the season as the starter but stepped aside in January when the Pistons signed Chris Webber, who had been bought out of his contract by Philadelphia to become a free agent.

Dumars said the deal, talked about in various forms for a few weeks, began to coalesce at 3 p.m. Friday when Charlotte general manager Rod Higgins – point man for Michael Jordan, the Bobcats’ top-ranking executive – called and laid out the specifics. By 4 p.m., the deal was essentially done pending league approval, which was granted following a 6 p.m. conference call.

Charlotte, according to Dumars, plans to start Mohammed at center and move Emeka Okafor to power forward. Dumars lauded Mohammed for his professionalism and said he was happy he’ll have the chance for a major role.

“Here’s exactly what Nazr said. He’s grateful for the opportunity to be able to go to Charlotte and play, but he’s really, really, really going to miss the environment and the culture here,” Dumars said. “He said he really learned to love playing with this team, with these guys, but I expected that. He is the ultimate pro, the consummate pro. I expected that from him. He was great. He was absolutely great.”

Click here to read Keith Langlois' analysis of what the trade means.