The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the Bobcats have traded the rights to a future protected first round pick to the Denver Nuggets for the 20th pick in Thursday’s draft.

This could be an effort by the Bobcats to acquire Georgetown center Roy Hibbert. The Observer previously reported the Bobcats approached the New Jersey Nets about the 21st pick. The NBA source with knowledge of those negotiations identified Hibbert as a likely Bobcats target.

The Bobcats have not specified what protection is involved, but typically teams try to avoid giving up future lottery picks.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of Hibbert.  When we last saw him in game action, the big senior led his #2 seeded Georgetown squad to an upset loss against Davidson in the second round of the NCAA tournament.  Hibbert managed only 6 points and a single rebound in 16 minutes before fouling out that game.  And that was against Davidson.  No offense, Wildcat fans, but Stephen Curry and company aren’t exactly the Detroit Pistons.

I also have a distinct memory of watching Hibbert live as a freshman in an NIT game versus South Carolina in Columbia.  I got a kick out of watching him struggle to make it into the frontcourt before most defensive possessions were over.  Giving him the ball on offense was just as smirk-inducing, if not moreso.  Of course, he’s come a long way since then, but I’ll frankly never be able to shake those images of him.

Of course, there’s an outside chance that Alexis Ajinca is actually the pick here.  It has been widely reported that Ajinca has been impressive on the workout trail, and that the Bobcats were one of the teams interested.

-E