"When Gerald Wallace walks back into the Charlotte Bobcats' locker room Friday, he'll be making new friends.

Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley? Gone. Hello Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Sean Singletary and - regardless of Wednesday's trade - Juwan Howard.

The Bobcats gave up their best offensive weapon Wednesday to acquire versatility, depth, athleticism and - eventually - some salary-cap flexibility. Richardson - acquired before last season to be this team's go-to guy - heads to the Phoenix Suns along with Dudley, a first-round pick from two years ago.

Diaw can play multiple positions, but will probably end up the Bobcats' starting power forward. Bell, an exceptional defender, will be penciled in as the starting shooting guard. And, by all indications, the Bobcats like 6-foot rookie guard Singletary's potential.

By trading two players for three, the Bobcats ate up their spare roster spot Wednesday. However, general manager Rod Higgins told the Observer he still plans to sign free agent forward Juwan Howard Friday.

That will require cutting someone else, an issue Higgins didn't address. However, a source close to the team said center Dwayne Jones is in jeopardy of being waived, in part because his contract isn't fully guaranteed.

Richardson and Dudley, scheduled to start last night against the New Orleans Hornets, were told of the trade shortly before boarding the team bus. The Bobcats were already shorthanded, with starting forward Wallace at home in Alabama following the death of his grandmother.

"He was a little surprised and upset," teammate Raymond Felton said of Richardson's reaction. "He definitely did not want this to happen."

Richardson reacted similarly when the Golden State Warriors traded him to Charlotte on draft night in 2007. Teammate Matt Carroll, who shares an agent with Richardson, said Richardson had no clue his name was in play as a trade commodity.

"I know he didn't hear anything leading up to this," Carroll said. "It was probably harder (to process this) on a game day. You go through shoot-around in the morning never thinking something like this might happen."

Despite the roster shakeup that just happened, changes might not be over, according to Bobcats coach Larry Brown."