Hornets general manager Jeff Bower expects Emeka Okafor to be better offensively alongside point guard Chris Paul.

Okafor has averaged a double-double in each of his first five NBA seasons, and Bower expects the center's low-post skills to attract attention from opposing defenses.

New Orleans acquired Okafor from Charlotte on Tuesday in exchange for Tyson Chandler.

"This has been a bit of a slow-moving process. We have been in discussions with (the Bobcats) for a while. We've been in a lot of discussions with various teams and remain in them. This is a step forward for us. It gives us another element to our front line," Bower told the Times-Picayune.

New Orleans also expects their defense to improve with Okafor, and that the former Connecticut star will be able to help Chris Paul start the fast break with his rebounding and passing.

The New Orleans Hornets announced that they have signed free agent forward Ike Diogu. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

?We?re excited to have Ike join our team and expect him to help the frontline off the bench this season,? said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. ?He has shown a lot of potential as an inside scorer and as an effective rebounder.?

The Hornets and Ike Diogu are close to finalizing a deal, with a formal announcement expected later Wednesday or Thursday, according to sources that spoke with ESPN.

Diogu, 25, appeared in only 29 games last season for the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.

Tyson Chandler, who was traded to the Bobcats earlier this week, says that he feels great physically.

"I feel a lot better than I did on the court last year," the center told the Charlotte Observer. "At the end of the (season), my ankle was hurting pretty bad. So I went in for an operation and we decided we might as well clean everything up. For the first time in a couple of years, I've got good movement in my toe."

Bobcats coach Larry Brown says that Chandler possesses the skill set the team is looking for in a center.

"We want a center who's out on the break, rebounding the ball and bringing it up with a couple of dribbles. Tyson has those skills," Brown said.

Emeka Okafor was dealt to the Hornets for Tyson Chandler on Tuesday.

"We looked at this trade as an opportunity to improve our team," Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said. "Tyson brings that unique level of athleticism in a 7-footer that puts us in a position to compete night in and night out with the other quality centers in the league."

The New Orleans Hornets have agreed in principle to a trade that will send center Tyson Chandler to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the deal was nearly consummated Friday and that talks had advanced to the point that the swap is on course to be submitted to the league office for approval Tuesday, barring any unforeseen snags.

Sources indicate that Okafor and Chandler will be the only players involved.

The Charlotte Bobcats are finalizing a trade that would send Emeka Okafor to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

Both centers are 26-years-old and were number two overall picks.

While Okafor has a longer contract, the players make about the same each year, making it an easier deal to fit under the salary cap. Chandler is owed $11.8 million in the 2009-10 season, and he could exercise his option for the 2010-11 season to increase that to $12.7 million.

The Hornets and Bobcats are in advanced discussions on a trade that would send center Tyson Chandler to Charlotte in exchange for Emeka Okafor, according to NBA front-office sources.

The trade could have more components in its finished form.

Sources close to the process said talks featuring Chandler and Okafor have been ongoing since late last week.

The AP reports that the trade could be completed Monday.

Chris Paul has cleared up comments made earlier this offseason that appeared to insinuate that he was on the trading block.

"Everybody knows if you ask me if I could be traded I would tell that if any one of my teammates could be traded, so can I, " Paul said told The Times-Picayune. "(The reporter) knew that, so I'm not worried about it. ... I'm not going anywhere. (The fans) know that. Where am I going? I can't go nowhere. I don't want to go nowhere."

Chris Paul believes that the Hornets could trade him because of their financial situation.

New Orleans is set to be over the luxury tax, and might have to bite the bullet and deal away some big contracts.

"In this league, anything can happen," Paul told Pro Basketball News on Thursday. "I can be dealt."

Paul was then asked if he seriously thought he could be dealt.

"It's possible," he reiterated. "It's possible."