The NBA players just ratified the new collective bargaining agreement with the league on Dec. 8, and it didn’t take long for the first controversial issue to rear its head. New Orleans thought they had a deal worked out that would have seen guard Chris Paul shipped off to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the league rejected the move.
Paul, an all-star guard, would have ended up in LA while Lamar Odom would have been sent to New Orleans and Pau Gasol would have landed in Houston. But even though the NBA operates the Hornets, the three-team deal was shot down. All of the players involved are expected to open training camps with their respective teams on Dec. 9.
Paul expressed his disappointment with the leagues rejection via his Twitter page after the news came down. It was reported that the deal was swept under the rug because several club owners were against it, but NBA Commissioner David Stern said that wasn’t true. Stern said the trade wasn’t discussed during the board of governors meeting, but reports said Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, was one owner who disagreed with the deal.
The new bargaining agreement was signed by the owners as a way to keep the league competitive and for small-market teams to be able to hang on to their top players. The deal to send Paul to the Lakers was exactly what they didn’t want to see. It meant the Hornets would have lost their marquee player to one of the league’s richest and biggest markets.
The NBA took over the Hornets in December 2010 when it purchased the franchise from George Shinn. In addition, the trade would have also seen New Orleans receive point guard Doran Dragic, shooting guard Kevin Martin and forward Luis Scola, along with a first-round draft pick from Houston. Odom, last season’s Sixth Man of the Year, has spent most of his career in Los Angeles and seemed to be relieved he wasn’t leaving the city. The Lakers may now try to acquire center Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.
If New Orleans can’t trade Paul, he’s eligible to opt out of present contract at the end of the season, which is a good possibility. The Hornets obviously would rather trade him and get something of value in return than simply letting him walk away for nothing. The 26-year-old scored 15.8 points a game on average last season along with 9.8 assists.
New Orleans has seen its ticket sales increase slightly even though the Paul situation is looming and the NBA lockout lasted several months. The team is hoping to find a buyer that will keep it in the state of Louisiana. The Hornets sold just over 6,000 season tickets last year and have managed to sell 10,000 already for the upcoming campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see if Paul, Gasol, and Odom report for training camp or if the rejection of the trade may be challenged in court.
