Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic is the team's highest-paid player, but he'll be coming off the bench this season.

Stojakovic is hoping that the role will help him deal with a troublesome back.

He had back surgery in 2007 and has missed a combined 93 games in the last three seasons mostly because of the injury.

"I think it makes it easier on him," Hornets coach Byron Scott told the Sacramento Bee. "It's less minutes. He's not going against some of these premier small forwards right off the bat every single night. I like him coming off the bench going against some of the bench guys that have to guard him and that he'll have to guard."

He went 1-for-2 in 20 minutes of action against the Spurs in the team's season opener.

Though his report hasn't been verified, Chris Broussard of ESPN indicates growing rumors that Stephen Jackson trade talks have been heating up.

The Cavaliers, Hornets, Spurs, Nuggets and Clippers are all believed to be interested.

The Warriors are reportedly mulling several offers.

Hornets general manager Jeff Bower admitted that November can be a slow time in the NBA, but added that moves aren't out of the question.

"Generally teams like to watch how their team performs in the early part of the season, to get a gauge on who they are and what's effective, and also to study other teams," Bower told the Times-Picayune. "It's a very slow period to start the season."

New Orleans submitted their 15-man roster to the NBA on Monday, and league sources indicate that all 15 players have guaranteed contracts.

"We continue to look at everything," Bower said. "We watch our performances in the preseason, both from an individual standpoint and from a team standpoint. And obviously we have much room to improve and need to improve at a strong pace. We'll continue to watch our team and every other team."

The Hornets picked up the option on Julian Wright for the 2010-11 season.

Picked 13th overall in 2007, the Kansas standout averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.3 minutes last season in 58 games, including 19 starts.

Hornets center Emeka Okafor practiced with the team on Sunday.

He has been dealing with a sprained second toe on his right foot.

A story on Yahoo! Friday claimed that Okafor received medical clearance two weeks ago, but that he was reluctant to take part in workouts.

"There were a couple of things in the article that weren't conveyed right as far as the doctors saying it was OK for me to (practice)," Okafor told the Times-Picayune. "The article almost made it seem like I wasn't playing for the sake of not playing. What was left out was that the doctors said it was OK for me to gradually do weight-bearing activities until I felt comfortable to play. The previous week I jumped out there and started running and felt the soreness and got set back.

"This time the game plan was to gradually build. That's what we've been doing and had success doing. Today was the first time I was on the court running,  doing everything,  the non-contact things,  to try to gradually ease myself into the water."

After Sunday's rigorous practice, Okafor said the troublesome toe felt fine.

"It's cool. It's in a better place," he said. "It's definitely more manageable than it was. And that was the goal: to get to a place where it could be manageable and I could get to place where I could play. I think people have to realize I've played two straight seasons (without missing a game) and in all those games,  I haven't felt 100 percent."

Emeka Okafor has yet to practice with the Hornets.

An NBA source told Yahoo! Sports that Okafor was cleared to play by the Hornets? medical staff two weeks ago and by his own doctor a week later. Most of Okafor?s teammates know he has been cleared and are eager to see whether he works out with them for the first time over the weekend.

?He better practice Sunday or he could lose some guys,? one Hornet said.

Hornets center Hilton Armstrong has been playing with the team's first unit due to Emeka Okafor's health issues.

While a strained thigh could keep Armstrong from the court this week, New Orleans coach Byron Scott has been very impressed with the fourth-year player.

"Two things," Scott told the Times-Picayune. "No. 1, his conditioning is fantastic. No. 2, he's just much more aggressive than he has been in the past. And No. 3 is probably his confidence level. Those three things have been pretty evident when you watch him out here playing.

"He's really getting up and down the floor, really sealing people in the post. And when he gets the ball in the post,  he's going up strong. That's something we hope he'll do the rest of the season."

Armstrong averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds for the Hornets last season.

"It's been a lot better than the last few years," Armstrong said of his training camp work. "I'm a lot more energetic. I'm in better condition and able to run for longer periods of time. I feel I'm all over the place. I did a lot more running (over the summer) and a lot of leg work so I could keep running.

"Every chance I'm on the floor is an opportunity. This is nothing different. This is my last year under contract, but I've just got to keep pushing through it and working hard every time I'm on the court. If I don't play, it would definitely bother me because I'd like to get on the court with other people. If I don't, I know it's just a preseason game. I won't stress over it too much."

The Bobcats have downplayed the financial aspect of why they dealt Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler, but coach Larry Brown was clear about the motivations when asked about the deal Tuesday.

?You can figure out why it was done ? it's not about the players,? Brown said.

Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic took part in three consecutive practices without a problem this week.

Stojakovic, who has been limited by a bad back throughout his career, told the Times-Picayune that his back feels fine.

As a precaution, Stojakovic takes himself out of drills every five to ten minutes.

"I've been doing great so far, but I don't want to get too excited," said Stojakovic. "I don't want to jinx it."

He will come off the bench this season.

Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic is comfortable coming off the bench in favor of Julian Wright this season.

Stojakovic is the team's highest-paid player this season with a salary of $14.2 million.

"This is my 12th season," Stojakovic told the Times-Picayune, "and I really believe I can still play good basketball. I still love going out there and competing against younger guys. There are a lot more games and practices, but the main thing for me is to stay healthy. That was the most frustrating thing for me, not being able to focus on the basketball when I'm on the court.

"I still believe that I can be a productive basketball player. I spoke to Coach (Byron Scott) at the beginning, and no matter what role he has for me, I'm for it, if I can be helpful to this team. We talked about it. I'm not looking for any individual achievements. I really believe that this team has the talent and the potential to play good basketball. If we all understand our role from the very beginning and know what we have to do on the court, I think we can be a successful team. It's up to us."