Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News says the scene when the Sixers informed Willie Green, who has spent his entire seven-year career with Philadelphia, they had traded him to the Hornets was "awkward, even emotional." Green was in the midst of a workout with assistant coach Aaron McKie, a former teammate of Green's, who knew the player was about to be traded but was not allowed to tell him.
Worse, Green's ten-year-old son was in attendance:
"That was heartbreaking," McKie said, "because Willie had his 10-year-old son, Ross, with him, and Ross just walked off the court crying. I told him he'd always be family, and Willie explained it to him, but that was tough."
But Sixers coach Doug Collins, who had the unenviable task of breaking the news to Green, is not unsympathetic toward him, having been fired in front of his kids on his last as coach of the Chicago Bulls.
But Green's situation may improve. Likely to see his playing time decrease this year due to the arrival of second-overall draft pick Evan Turner, he's headed to a team that plans to use him. Adrian Wojnarowski explains the Hornets' motivation in trading for Green:
For those asking about Hornets motivation for today's trade, GM Dell Demps believes SG Willie Green can move over and back up Chris Paul.
Adrian Wojnarowski
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The Hornets traded Darren Collison, Paul's backup, earlier this summer, so Green has a chance to secure Collison's former role.