NBA Trade Rumors: Chris Paul Asks to Go to Knicks, Big Three in NY Becoming Real
Chris Paul's agent has reportedly informed the New Orleans Hornets his client will not sign a contract extension and wants to be dealt to the New York Knicks.
After dancing around the notion for a few days, it seems that Paul has officially attempted to exert his leverage. Hornets general manager Dell Demps wants to hear it from Paul himself once the NBA fully lifts the lockout restrictions, but all signs point to this being a formality.
A potential Knicks and Paul pairing has been entertained since last summer (at least), when the point guard made an infamous toast at Carmelo Anthony's wedding, stating that he, Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire would all team up in New York.
That toast seems to have laid some heavy-duty groundwork, as Anthony followed Stoudemire to New York months after. And now, Paul doesn't seem far behind.
New York has very few enticing assets to offer the Hornets in exchange for Paul, as they decimated their roster in the Anthony trade last season. However, that will not prove to be as vital a factor if Paul is indeed ready to tell New Orleans where his heart truly lies.
While the request doesn't come as a major surprise, the direct approach that was taken does. Paul has evaded questions regarding his future and potential move to New York for quite some time. He has maintained he is committed to the Hornets and that he is merely keeping his options open.
The closest the star point guard ever came to forcing his way to New York was when his supposed list of preferred teams was leaked earlier this week. He apparently named the Knicks as his team of choice, and the report even went as far as saying Paul was prepared to wait until free agency to get there.
Now, however, it seems that Paul may be done playing games. Maybe the Rajon Rondo trade rumors spooked him. Perhaps the reports that the Hornets were engaged in talks with teams who had way more assets triggered something in Paul's mind.
Or maybe Paul just doesn't want to wait any longer to contend for a title.
The latter may have something to do with it, but more likely than not, Paul has realized that merely presenting the Hornets with a list of suggestions isn't enough. He may hold all the leverage in this situation, but until he officially—not supposedly—invokes the use of it, New Orleans' hand is not forced.
Recent reports indicate that is all about to change though. Paul seems ready to officially do what Anthony never did.
Never before have the Knicks possessed such a shallow pool of assets, yet never before have their big three aspirations been closer to becoming a reality.
