NBA Trade Rumors: Hornets Must Trade Chris Paul to Contender as Rental
Chris Paul's request to be traded from the New Orleans Hornets to the New York Knicks should not be honored by his team, and instead the Hornets must deal the superstar point guard to a team that will acquire Paul as a rental.
The Knicks have absolutely no one to offer the Hornets that will satisfy their need for big talent to continue their rebuilding process.
Landry Fields is the only promising young player that New York can offer but without Fields, the Knicks' depth at guard will weaken severely.
The Hornets are much better off trading Paul to a team that will acquire him as a rental and still offer them a good young player or two in the deal.
The Knicks just don't have any trade assets to dangle; it's that simple. New Orleans would likely be able to get more talent from a team, probably a veteran one, that is willing to part with a young player and/or draft picks for a big championship push.
The Hornets cannot allow Paul to walk in free agency and get no value in return. The league owns the franchise and will not want to see the team get no talent for Paul.
The team won't be very attractive with no Paul and no David West, who will likely leave the team through free agency this season.
New Orleans needs to find the team that will give them the best package for Paul; they cannot cater to his demands.
Some team will probably give up a better package of talent/picks for Paul than the Knicks, because New York has no pieces to build for the future that the Hornets will covet.
New Orleans must not panic and just take this process slowly; they cannot make a rash decision. The Hornets realize Paul's future won't be in New Orleans, so they must ensure they get the best return for him so they can build toward another playoff run.
