BASKETBALL

REPORT: BULLS TRADE CHANDLER TO HORNETS Tyson Chandler is ready for a fresh start. The Chicago Bulls agreed yesterday to send the center to the New Orleans Hornets for veteran forward P.J. Brown and swingman J.R. Smith, the Chicago Tribune reported last night on its Web site. Officials with both the Bulls and the Hornets declined comment. The deal cannot become official until July 12, when an NBA free agent signing moratorium ends.

Chandler averaged 5.3 points and 9.0 rebounds last season after signing a six year contract worth about $60 million. In New Orleans, he will join a team that improved by 20 games last season, staying in the Western Conference playoff race until the final week of the season before finishing 38-44. Brown, who averaged 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds last season for the Hornets, was the last remaining player from the franchise’s days in Charlotte. Smith, the Hornets’ first-round pick in 2004 out of St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep, averaged 7.7 points in 55 games.

BASEBALL

CANSECO TRADED AFTER ONE GAME Only one game into his comeback, Jose Canseco was traded yesterday after seeking the move because of family obligations. The Golden Baseball League approved the swap, sending the 42-year-old Canseco from the San Diego Surf Dawgs to the Long Beach Armada for Cuban pitcher Yoankis Turino. Canseco’s debut Monday night was dismal. The designated hitter went 0-for-3, striking out all three times, and was hit by a pitch. He did not get to pitch, as he hopes to do. In a telephone interview, Canseco said he requested the trade because his 9-year-old daughter, Josie, will be spending the rest of the summer living with him and he didn’t want “to drag her around to hotels.”

HOCKEY

BOUCHARD RE-SIGNS WITH ISLANDERS The Islanders kept Joel Bouchard in the fold, re-signing him to a one-year, $500,000 contract yesterday. The 32-year-old Montreal native recorded one goal, eight assists and 23 penalty minutes in 25 games with the Islanders.

– Associated Press