James Posey wanted to stay in Boston, but in the end he wanted to get paid even more: he signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Hornets earlier today. From Marc Spears of the Boston Globe:

"We liked James and we wanted him back," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "He got a good deal in New Orleans. We were unwilling to go four years."

By choosing N'awlins over Beantown, Posey will get more than one extra year of the MLE; as I mentioned yesterday, he'll also get a chance to compete for a starting job.

Posey is a natural small forward but can defend most of the league's two-guards, and if Byron Scott decides he wants to instill a bit more defensive grit to the starting lineup, Posey could supplant Morris Peterson, the incumbent starter who signed a four-year deal of his own last summer. Mo-Pete has been more consistent from long range over his career, but Posey has closed the gap in that regard, as well.

It'll be interesting to see how exactly the Celtics replace Posey, who was undeniably one of their most important reserves this past season. The number of viable free agent swingmen has been shrinking almost daily: James Jones has signed with the Heat, Jarvis Hayes with the Nets, and Carlos Delfino just defected for Moscow. The most likely candidates left on the market would require a minor miracle (Josh Childress) or a big leap of faith (CJ Miles).