It was the signature move of New Orleans' thrilling young inside-outside tandem, with the two teaming up for more than 100 alley-oops last season during the Hornets' surprising run to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a spot in the conference semifinals.

Now, the Hornets will have to find a new crowd-pleasing calling card.

Chandler was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday in a trade that brings veterans Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox to the Hornets and could give New Orleans some cap room next season heading into the first year of Paul's new four-year, $68 million contract.

New Orleans also got the rights to DeVon Hardin, a second-round pick out of California in last year's draft who never signed with Oklahoma City.

"We were able to get great depth, leadership and experience by making this trade," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement. "We felt we needed to increase our overall play of the front line and Chris Wilcox is a young, athletic player that can score and fit well in our system. We will be able to take advantage of his athleticism and style of play.

"Joe provides us with much needed depth and someone who can be an integral part of our rotation."

Chandler's numbers had dropped off even before he missed the Hornets' last 12 games with a sprained left ankle. He's averaging 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this season, after going for 11.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season.

Wilcox's averages of 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds fell off, along with his playing time, since the Thunder signed restricted free agent Nenad Krstic on Dec. 30. He had a season-high 23 points on New Year's Eve, before Krstic got into the rotation, but saw his time on the court fall off to practically nothing within a week. He played in only one of Oklahoma City's last five games.

Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 1995 draft, has been fighting through injury issues of his own. A balky left knee kept him out of the Thunder's lineup for nearly a month before he returned to play in four of the last five games before the All-Star break. He has averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 36 games.

None of the players were at the Ford Center on Tuesday night, and neither team provided a timetable for when they might be ready to play with their new teams.

Chandler, who played one season in Oklahoma City during the Hornets' temporary relocation after Hurricane Katrina, brings the franchise a proven talent inside after it tried for years to draft and develop a front-line center. The former Seattle SuperSonics used first-round picks on Robert Swift, Mouhamed Sene and Johan Petro in recent years and have another 7-footer developing overseas in last year's 20th overall pick, Serge Ibaka.

"It's never easy to find big guys, for sure," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said.

Oklahoma City has been stockpiling draft picks to supplement a young core that includes Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook.

"I think this move is a strong statement from our ownership group as to their commitment to put an elite basketball operation together, and we're grateful that we have that kind of support from the people that are in charge," Presti said.