Chris Paul Trade Rumour Analysis
Realistically speaking, the Chris Paul situation is nothing more than theoretical at this point. Paul has not actually told the Hornets that he wants out of New Orleans. He has not given them a list of teams that he would be willing to be traded to.
Although rumours regarding Paul’s future with the Hornets have been rampant in recent days, official word should be out soon. Paul is scheduled to meet with Hornets management on Monday and discuss how he really feels.
Let’s continue the theorizing. If Paul does decide that he wants out of New Orleans, which he thankfully will tell the team in private and not via hour-long special, here is an analysis of some possibilities based on Paul wanting to join a contender and the Hornets getting something in return for their franchise point guard.
Portland Trailblazers: Once upon a time, Portland was in position to draft Paul. Instead, they traded down in the 2005 draft and used the sixth pick to select Martell Webster.
Webster never really materialized into an NBA talent and is now playing in the basketball wasteland that is the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise. The Trailblazers might be interested in ‘the one that got away’ and most importantly can offer the Hornets a lot.
In exchange for Paul, most likely Emeka Okafor’s awful contract, and fellow bowling enthusiast Julian Wright, the Blazers can send the Hornets Andre Miller, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, and Joel Pryzbilla. Plus the Hornets could be enticed by the fact that every one of those contracts comes off the books right after next season, making the trade risk-proof in the long run.
New York Knicks: The Knicks almost blindly want any player with star power in order to reaffirm their notions of Madison Square Garden’s historical greatness. In reality, Paul to the New York Knicks is possible but not the franchise saving move that Knicks fans and management hope it to be.
In order to get Paul from the Hornets, the Knicks would have to pretty much pillage their roster and send away Danilo Gallinari, Eddy Curry, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ronnie Turiaf.
This means that Paul, who if he leaves New Orleans does for because of a lack of depth, would be arriving at a team with a glaring lack of depth. Unless Paul agrees to a very small contract on the assumption that Carmelo Anthony will join the Knicks upon entering free agency the following season, the Knicks will be unable to sign Anthony except through a sign-and-trade.
Paul is probably a better franchise pick than Anthony, but with a bizarre frontline of Amar'e Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph, and Emeka Okafor, it doesn’t look like anything worthwhile could happen.
Orlando Magic: Rumours have made the Magic a big target for Paul’s services. Unfortunately, this is entirely unsubstantiated. The Magic may be slightly displeased with Jameer Nelson, and a duo of Paul and Dwight Howard would be fun to watch, but the Magic simply cannot take on Okafor’s contract.
Okafor’s whopping four-year, $52 million contract would cripple the Magic in luxury tax for years. Magic coach Stan van Gundy perhaps described the possibility of Paul to the Magic best. "Much ado about nothing,'' van Gundy Saturday told the Orlando Sentinel when asked about reports linking his team to Paul.
New Orleans Hornets: Paul’s best bet is to stay with the Hornets. The fact that the team is not particularly keen on letting go of him will lead to both accommodation in New Orleans and particularly poor trades otherwise. By chaining Paul with Okafor, the Hornets have ensured that the only teams that can take Paul aren’t really contenders. The only way any other team could sign him would be by giving up the very depth that Paul wants to play for. So perhaps Paul is better off just waiting the two years for his deal to end and hope that the Hornets build substantially in that time to retain his services.
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