The NBA’s annual trading deadline has come and gone, and the one Hornets player who was the object of the most speculation about his future in New Orleans was back on the court in the Hornets’ 99-89 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night — in a Hornets uniform.

Center Chris Kaman, who was exiled from the team the last week in January as it attempted to negotiate a trade, only to return one week later when nothing could be consummated, remains with the team, presumably for the rest of the season. His $14 million contract expires at the end of the season, and the Hornets could opt to re-sign him or allow him to become a free agent.

“I don’t even have a reaction, to be honest with you,” Kaman said Thursday night. “I’m just here. I didn’t anticipate being moved after all that whole situation before when they couldn’t find a trade, or a trade didn’t work out that they had. I just kept hearing that things were kind of dead. I heard my name a couple of times the last couple of days, but mostly by you guys and some other people that I know in the media. I hadn’t really heard anything solid. So here I am to finish out the season with the Hornets.”

Asked if that was good or bad, Kaman, acquired from the Clippers in the trade for Chris Paul, said: “A good thing. I’ve established a relationship with a lot of people here, and my teammates, and we just want to finish the season as best we can and hope for the best this summer and see what happens.”

Is Kaman still open to re-signing with the Hornets in the offseason?

“Yes sir,” he said. “Certainly.”

And according to General Manager Dell Demps, the team will consider that option.

“There is that possibility,” Demps said. “We’re open to everything. We value Chris. The door’s not closed on him. I think he has had a good season. He has proven he can score the basketball. As we move forward, he has been very impressive, especially in the last few weeks. The door is not closed on Chris. We’ll have his Bird rights this summer, so we think there’s a lot of opportunity still with Chris.”

Thursday’s apparent closure of the Kaman-on-the-block saga ends a rather bizarre chapter this season for the Hornets.

During the week Kaman was told to stay away from the team, his likeness was excised from the pregame video that is shown on the arena screens before player introductions.

He, and his video image, returned after missing five games, and he has started the past 17 in the absence of starting center Emeka Okafor, who’s out with a sore left knee. During that time, Kaman has been arguably the Hornets’ best player, with a team-high 12 double-doubles. Kaman has, however, displayed carelessness with the basketball, committing 49 turnovers in 17 games, including six in the loss Wednesday night to the Lakers.

There has been speculation that if the Hornets could not trade Kaman, he could be bought out of his contract for the rest of the season. Demps, however, discounted that.

“Everything is always a possibility,” Demps said. “I mean there’s no reason to say I’m certain, 100 percent sure. There’s always a possibility. I never want to say never. But our intention is to keep Chris.”

Demps said he fielded “lots of calls” for various scenarios Thursday, but couldn’t negotiate a deal that would improve the team in the future.

“So we thought we’d stay put,” Demps said. “Sometimes the best trade is the trade you don’t make. We’re happy where we are now. We’re not happy with our record, but we’re happy with the direction the team is going. And we think we maintained flexibility. We have some picks coming up, and we get an opportunity to see some of our young guys play the rest of the year, and we’re excited about the possibilities.”

Demps said despite perceptions that the league-owned Hornets have been hindered in making trades by NBA intervention, that wasn’t the case Thursday.

“I was working with the league hand-in-hand, on the phone with them all day, all week. They’ve been great. We just didn’t feel like there was an opportunity to make the team better.”

NOTES: Demps said the team hopes to have injured shooting guard Eric Gordon back for the last month of the season. “He’s working out hard,” Demps said. “The big thing with him is keeping him off the court. We’ve got to slow him down. He really wants to come and show you guys that he can play.” … Hornets Coach Monty Williams seemed visibly uncomfortable by the firing of his friend and former mentor Nate McMillan in Portland.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Williams said. “Until I do, I don’t want to get into too many particulars about that.”

•••••••

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.

A new beginning? You can call it that, if you look back on the six-season era of CP3. What you had Wednesday night was a welcome-back-home to the man that spanned both eras.

I say this remembering it was at an early stage of last season, with the New Orleans Hornets on their way to coming out of the starting bocks a surprising 8-0, that I posed the question to Chris Paul.

“What do you think about your rookie head coach?’’

There was no hesitation.

“He knows how to relate,’’ came the reply from the All-Pro point guard. “All coaches are busy sending messages. In some cases, not all messages are received. Coach (Monty) Williams makes contact, and that has plenty to do with the man and his personality. You get the message because you respect the messenger.’’

The messenger at the time was 39, the youngest head coach in the NBA, and once he started talking you realized you were dealing in mutual admiration.

“Right now,’’ said Williams, “Chris could be a head coach in this league. I’m more impressed than I was before I got to know him. He knows so much more than I did at his age. His attention to detail is amazing, and when it comes to individual defense, team defense, everyone has bought into what coach is selling.’’

Dell Demps, the General Manager who hired Williams from a list of candidates, says, “whenever Monty’s involved, it’s a soft sell. Monty has a special calmness about him. He doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. But, inside, you’ll find a competitive fire and a smart man.’’

There was the Hornets coach Wednesday, preparing to bury the Boston Celtics 97-78, preparing for the first home game in an abbreviated season of 66 games, wondering how long it would take him to assess what he had. .

Only four games into his rookie season, Williams figured it was going to take at least 25 games of an 82-game season to find out “how good, how bad, we were.’’

All he knew then was he had the best point guard, the best pick-and-roll player, in the game, and he had to do his best to keep Chris Paul as fresh as possible.

Now he’s dealing with virtually a new roster, still getting acquainted with one another, in some cases still getting acquainted with the English language.

In a way, Williams has been dealing with nothing but change from Day One on the job.

“It continues to be a learning process for most of us,’’ he said, ‘’and that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s not an excuse.’’

Williams had no excuses last season when his 12-3 Hornets lost their first home game to the San Antonio Spurs, in the hands of Gregg Popovich, the man who helped shape Williams’ coaching career.

“I was outcoached by a lot,’’ said Monty who watched a 17-point halftime turn into a 14-point loss. After shooting 62 percent in the first half, the Hornets went 5-for-15 in the third quarter and turned the ball over five times to bring the Spurs back in the game.

“Coach Pop made move after move after move, and I had no answer,’’ said Williams.

The way he handled that defeat told me the Hornets had someone who could rock with the punches that would come and never look back.

On Thursday, you had Williams’ ball club, with a roster of nine new faces, without his top scorer, Eric Gordon, the hero of an opening game victory, send a serious message as to what you can accomplish with a take-it-to-you defense for a full 48 minutes.

Quite simply, the Hornets held a team known for its aggressive defense with one that not only limited the men in green to 78 points, but also limited them to 37 percent shooting, by forcing nine turnovers, by forcing seven steals, by blocking a dozen shots.

Meanwhile, Williams watched five of his players hit in double figures, led by Jarrett Jack’s 21 and Carl Landry’s 20.

He also watched 7-footer Chris Kaman come off the bench and contribute 27 minutes that included 12 points, some from the outside, nine rebounds and three blocks.

All things considered, two games into a new start, there’s more sunshine than clouds.

Welcome home, Monty Williams.

Desiring a backup point guard with NBA experience, the New Orleans Hornets traded second-year small forward Quincy Pondexter to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday for guard Greivis Vasquez. Vasquez, 6 feet 6, 211 pounds, can play both guard positions and averaged 3.6 points and 2.2 assists last season as a rookie with the Grizzlies.

Vasquez was a first-round pick by the Grizzlies in 2010, becoming the first Venezuelan-born player to be drafted and only the third Venezuelan to play in the league.

The Hornets have no player on their roster who was drafted by the franchise. Pondexter, 6-6, 225, was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 26th overall pick in the 2010 draft then traded to the Hornets on draft night.

Pondexter played in 66 games last season with six starts. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.

Veteran center Emeka Okafor is the only remaining player on the Hornets’ roster not acquired by General Manager Dell Demps, who was hired by the Hornets in July 2010.

“We feel this is a trade that benefits both teams,’’ Demps said in a statement. “We will miss Quincy, and we thank him for his efforts, professionalism and work ethic. We are excited to add Greivis Vasquez to our team, organization and community. Greivis is an exciting big guard that plays with a passion that we hope will thrill our fans at the Hive.”

Demps had been in discussions with the Grizzlies the past few days and said he was trying to acquire a proven backup guard. Jarrett Jack moved into a starting role after Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Staff writer Jimmy Smith contributed to this report. 

WESTWEGO, Louisiana — The New Orleans Hornets have wrapped up an agreement on a one-year contract with free agent Carl Landry, who is expected to step back into the starting power forward spot he had late last season and during New Orleans’ first-round playoff series.

Landry’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said the deal is worth about $8.8 million.

Hornets general manager Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams “did an unbelievable job communicating to him how bad they want him back, and what they were trying to build,” Bartelstein said. “Carl really enjoyed playing for Monty.”

The deal on Thursday came less than 24 hours after the Hornets traded All-Star guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for shooting guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman and forward Al-Farouq Aminu.

Aminu is a second-year player who is likely to back up the 6-foot-9 Landry, who averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 games with the Hornets. Landry was acquired in a trade with Sacramento last season and initially backed up David West, but moved into a starting role when West injured his left knee.

West, who was a free agent after last season, decided last weekend to sign with Indiana, opening the way for Landry to return as the likely starter.

“He understands the system. He really thrived later in the season after the injury to David West,” Demps said. “He had some big-time moments for us in the playoffs last year. We want to grow on that. … He fits our system and we’re excited about the agreement.”

Bartelstein said his client agreed to only a one-year deal because of Hornets “uncertain ownership situation.” The team is currently owned by the NBA, but is hoping to have local ownership by mid-January or February, team officials have said.

Still, Landry was willing to give the Hornets at least one more season and remain open to signing an extension if the ownership situation becomes more stable, Bartelstein said.

“He’s going to have a great year and we’ll obviously revisit things in a few months from now,” Bartelstein said.

Free agent forwards Carl Landry and Jason Smith are both currently mulling offers to re-sign with the New Orleans Hornets, their agent Mark Bartelstein said Wednesday night, and likely will decide whether to accept the deals sometime Thursday now that the Chris Paul trade to the Clippers has been consummated.

The Hornets’ contract offers aren’t the only ones that Landry and Smith have received.

Bartelstein, reached late Wednesday night, said both players have garnered interest from several teams, though each played key roles with the Hornets last season.

“We’ve talked with the Hornets a bunch today,” Bartelstein said, “and I think both Carl and Jason will both move toward making a decision maybe as early as (Thursday).

“They’ve got a number of teams that have pursued both of them. And they’re looking at things. We’ve had good talks with the Hornets, as well as a bunch of teams (on Wednesday) and I think both are eager to make a decision (today). I don’t want to characterize that they’re leaning one way or another.”

Landry has, in recent week, expressed his affection for New Orleans and the reception he received from both the Hornets and their fans when he arrived last season at the trading deadline. He was a critical part of the Hornets’ stretch drive, especially after David West went out with a knee injury.

Should he re-sign in New Orleans, Landry would immediately step into the starting power forward role.

“I like New Orleans and everything about the team,” Landry said this week, “the front office. I know (General Manager) Dell Demps and (Coach) Monty Williams, and those guys are doing an excellent job. They’re trying to build a team. My agent is still talking to a couple of other teams and just trying to make sure I pick the right team and make sure it’s the right fit, just trying to make sure it’s the right fit, just trying to get me in the right situation. Not necessarily financially, but just placed in the right spot to have an opportunity for success in the next couple of years of my career.”

Smith said last week, before the start of training camp, he was keeping his options open.

New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said trade talks has resumed involving Chris Paul and the completion of a deal is possible. He didn’t specify if discussions still involved the Lakers and Houston Rockets.

NBA Commissioner David Stern nixed Thursday’s  blockbuster three-team trade that had Paul going to the Lakers, while the Hornets would had received guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic, forwards Luis Scola and Lamar Odom and a first-round draft pick.

“Since that deal did not go through, we’re going to keep plugging away,” Demps said. “Everything is open and we’re trying to fill our roster. We’re doing everything we can to get a good team here; we only have six guys.”

Demps confirmed that Paul declined to sign a long-term extension earlier ths week, which prompted the franchise to begin serious trade discussions.

Paul is currently participating in the Hornets’ opening training camp practice at the Alario Center.  

With just five players currently under contract, New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps is expected to busy when the free agency period begins on Dec. 9.

Will he be able to re-sign David West or Carl Landry or land one of the top available free agents like Tyson Chandler or Marc Gasol?

Those are the questions that awaits the franchise now after the league and players  tentatively reached an agreement this past Saturday to a new labor deal, ending the 149-day lockout.

By having the sixth-lowest payroll in the league, the Hornets are not likely to be hampered by financial restraints.

HERE ARE SIX FREE AGENTS THE HORNETS MAY PURSUE.

1. David West, power forward, 6 feet 9, 240 pounds, 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, Unrestricted.

The Hornets are the only team that can offer him a five-year deal. However, several teams are likely to pursue West, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery in April to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. West is considered to be the top available power forward in free agency and the Indiana Pacers are expected to make the biggest toward signing him.

2. Carl Landry, power forward, 6-9, 248, 11.8 points, 4.8 rebound, unrestricted.

The Hornets have a better chance of re-signing Landry than they do West. The Hornets acquired Landry in a mid-season trade with the Sacramento Kings in exchange for guard Marcus Thornton. In the Hornets’ first-round elimination by the Lakers last spring, Landry averaged 15.8 points in the six-game series.

3. Willie Green, shooting guard, 6-3, 201, 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, unrestricted.

Green was a favorite of Coach Monty Williams because of his defensive play and ability to make timely shots. He will draw attention from some teams, but likely to return to Hornets.

4. Tyson Chandler, center, 7-1, 235, 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, unrestricted.

If the Hornets acquire Chandler, it would be vital in convincing Chris Paul to stay after this season instead of opting out. But New Orleans is a long-shot because Chandler has not forgiven the franchise for trading him in 2009 when it appeared he had a career-threatening foot injury. Chandler is expected to re-sign with the defending NBA champion Mavericks.

5. Marco Belinelli, shooting guard, 6-5, 200, 10.4 points, 1.1 assists, restricted.

The Hornets made a $3.37 million qualifying offer to Belinelli in June, making him a restricted free agent. If Belinelli signs an offer sheet with another team under the new labor agreement, the Hornets would have only three days to match it. In the previous labor deal, they had seven days to match.

6. Glen Davis, power forward  6-9, 289, 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, unrestricted.

He could be an option if the Hornets cannot re-sign West or Landry. In four seasons with the Celtics, Davis averaged 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Here are some of the league’s top free agents:

Marc Gasol, Memphis, center, restricted.

Jason Richardson, Orlando, shooting guard, unrestricted.

Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia, small forward, restricted.

DeAndre Jordan, L.A.Clippers, center, restricted.

Jamal Crawford, Atlanta, shooting guard, unrestricted.

Shane Battier, Memphis, small forward, unrestricted.

Samuel Dalembert, Sacramento, center, unrestricted.

Marcus Thornton, Sacramento, shooting guard, unrestricted.

Tayshaun Prince, Detroit, small forward, unrestricted.

The New Orleans Hornets do not have a first-round pick in next month’s draft, but General Manager Dell Demps and his staff are in East Rutherford, N.J., today to evaluate 50 draft prospects.

The Hornets’ lone draft pick will be in the second-round (45th). Regardless, Demps went to the University of Kentucky’s pro day to evaluate prospects last week and they are expected to attend the predraft combine in Chicago on May 18-22.

“Right now it’s a little bit easier to go out and watch than bringing guys in, especially with us not having a first-round pick,’’ Demps said. “That’s the kind of approach we’re taking right now.

“Once it gets to June, if we get to a point where we really want to bring in some guys to look at, we’ll do that. But when we go to these events, we can interview and talk to them. It’s just like them coming here.’’

Sunday is the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft.

In response to John DeShazier’s column on New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps, nola.com reader lanative wrote:

“I think Demps is showing great leadership by trying to get DWest’s contract signed and to work on an extension for CP3. I believe we are several pieces away and with the emergence of the Grizzlies and Thunder and the decline of the Lakers and Spurs – the Hornets are IMO just a few major pieces away.”