NBA: Charlotte Bobcats swap Corey Maggette for Detroit Piston Ben Gordon, draft pick

The Charlotte Bobcats and the Detroit Pistons have pulled off a trade that sends forward Corey Maggette to the Motor City, in exchange for shooting guard Ben Gordon and a future first round pick, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported. The trade sees the moribund Charlotte franchise make a move for both the here and the now. The Bobcats had the worst three-point field goal percentage last season, 29.5 percent, and were desperate to add an outside threat. The future first round draft pick will also help their rebuilding project, adding another young talent to the mix. According to Wojnarowski, the Pistons' pick is protected through the eighth pick in 2014, and first overall in 2015. It then becomes unprotected in the 2016 draft, should circumstances extend it that far. Gordon, who will be owed $12.4 million this upcoming year, averaged 12.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season. The former third overall pick by Chicago has a player option of $13.2 million in the 2013-14 season, but more importantly, shot 42.9 percent from downtown in the 2011-12 season, and is a career 40.6 percent sniper from long-range. On the other hand, the swap is a considered to be a money-saving move for Detroit. Though Maggette will become their highest-paid player at $10.9 million, it also happens to be the last year of his contract, making a buy-out in order to save even more money, possible. Maggette had averages of 15.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 32 games last season. - AMD, GMA News